STRINGENT LAWS BLAMED: Priyadarshini Patil, was locked in a legal battle with Australian authorities alongside her husband, Lingaraj Patil, to gain custody of their ailing son and daughter
In a heartbreaking incident, a 45-year-old NRI professional took her own life after an arduous struggle to secure custody of her two children in Australia. The woman, Priyadarshini Patil, was locked in a legal battle with Australian authorities alongside her husband, Lingaraj Patil, to gain custody of their ailing son and daughter.
The Patil couple’s ordeal spanned several months as they fought tenaciously to regain custody of their children, 17-year-old Amartya and 13-year-old Aparajita, according to a report by Times of India. Their case took a tragic turn when their teenage son’s health, already compromised due to a serious illness, deteriorated further due to an alleged medical oversight.
The situation escalated when Priyadarshini Patil voiced her concerns about medical negligence at the hospital. However, this action seemingly backfired, as the Australian authorities shifted their focus onto her, deeming her responsible for mishandling her children. Consequently, the Australian legal system found the couple guilty and invoked local child protection laws to take custody of both adolescents. This decision marked the beginning of Amartya and Aparajita’s separation from their parents.
The Patil case echoes previous instances, such as the well-known ordeal of Sagrika Chakraborty, whose two children were taken by Norwegian Child Welfare Services due to cultural differences in parenting practices
Overwhelmed by despair, Priyadarshini Patil made a tragic decision to end her own life. On a fateful Sunday, she headed towards the Malaprabha river and took her own life by jumping in. Tragically, this decision came right after she had booked a ticket to return to her hometown. However, she altered her course, boarding a bus to Hubbali instead. In her final moments, she arranged for a parcel containing cash and jewelry to be sent to her father, as recounted by sources to TOI.
This heart-wrenching incident sheds light on the struggles faced by Indian couples in their battles for custody. Similar stories of NRI couples fighting for years to regain custody of their children from foreign authorities are not uncommon.
The Patil case echoes previous instances, such as the well-known ordeal of Sagrika Chakraborty, whose two children were taken by Norwegian Child Welfare Services due to cultural differences in parenting practices, as documented by another TOI report.
These cases underscore the complex challenges faced by NRI parents entangled in custody battles under foreign jurisdictions, often contending with unfamiliar legal systems and cultural contexts.
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