A year after his parents abandoned him in London, 11-year-old Gurinderjit Singh is awaiting the Punjab and Haryana high court’s mandate to return home. He wants to live with his uncle Kuldip Singh at Dasuya in Punjab, but cannot return since his separated and ‘untraceable’ parents have taken away his passport.
The Indian government is not helping by delaying release of the necessary papers.
The high court, hearing a plea by London’s Ealing Council, which is in charge of Gurinderjit’s welfare in the UK, issued a notice to the external affairs ministry last week, asking why it was delaying release of the necessary travel papers to Gurinderjit.
The government is expected to reply by December 11.
Ealing’s legal and democratic services director Helen Harris travelled to Chandigarh and filed the petition, seeking restoration of fundamental rights of Gurinderjit. The council says it cannot look after the boy forever.
Gurinderjit discontinued his studies at a school in Dasuya three years ago to accompany his parents — Mohinder Singh and Deepika — to England.
Mohinder is believed to be in Italy and Deepika in England. The two are possibly on the run either because their passports are fake or have expired.
After they abandoned Gurinderjit, uncle Kuldip identified him by his photographs published in newspapers and moved a court in Dasuya for his custody. However, the court wants Gurinderjit to be physically present before it to make a decision.
