Child Custody — Removal of Child From Abroad · 18 September 2026
Telangana High Court Directs Return of Four-Year-Old to the US Where Oregon Custody Case Is Pending, Rejecting the Idea That Father's Role Is Only Financial
High Court for the State of Telangana · 2026 LiveLaw (Tel) 155; Writ Petition No. 29562 of 2025
Download the full judgment (PDF)
Enter your name and WhatsApp number to get the download link. We'll also let you know on WhatsApp if we can help with this case — filing, tracking, or anything else — no obligation either way.
We use this only to send the link and to follow up about this case. See our privacy policy.
The child was born in the US, is a US citizen, and had spent most of her life in Oregon. Her father filed separation proceedings there in February 2025; the Oregon court restrained both parents from changing her usual residence, and they agreed a temporary parenting plan. The father alleged that the mother brought the child to Hyderabad three days after agreeing to that plan, in breach of the Oregon court's orders, and denied him agreed access; the Oregon court then gave him sole temporary custody. The mother began divorce and custody proceedings in Hyderabad and said the father was in touch with the child by video calls. The father filed a habeas corpus petition seeking her return to the US.
A Division Bench of Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Renuka Yara noted that the mother had taken part in the US proceedings and agreed the parenting plan before leaving with the child, had not challenged the US court's jurisdiction, and had not obtained permission to take the child out of Oregon, and that her Hyderabad proceedings did not displace that jurisdiction. The Court considered the child's US citizenship and long residence there, and rejected the suggestion that the father's parental role could be discounted because of the parents' dispute. It directed the child's return from 1 October 2026: if the mother does not travel with her, she must hand the child to the father or a close family member, and will have daily and weekend video access. The Court did not decide custody itself.
General information, not legal advice. This is a plain-language summary for awareness only. Every case turns on its own facts, and this judgment does not decide how a court will rule in your matter. For advice on your own case, speak to an independent advocate — MyCaseFile is not a law firm and does not interpret judgments for anyone's case.