Ariha Shah Case: Charges against parents dropped yet Germany wants permanent custody of toddler

All of 27 months, Ariha Shah has been at the centre of a spiraling diplomatic row between India and Germany.

Last week, a German court denied Ariha’s custody to her parents; instead, handed over the toddler to Germany’s Youth Welfare Office or Jugendamt.

The child has been in the Jugendamt’s custody since 2021.

The German authorities have accused Ariha’s parents of abusing her.

A court in Germany granted Ariha’s custody to the German state on Friday, dismissing the claim of her parents that the toddler’s injuries were “accidental.”

The court pointed to two injuries that Ariha had suffered – a head and back injury in April 2021 that happened while she was being bathed and a genital injury in September 2021, an Indian Express report said.

The court said that Ariha’s parents Dhara and Bhavesh Shah “intentionally caused the serious genital injuries of the child” and that they were denied custody to “avert the existing danger to the child,” the report added.

Following the verdict, Ariha’s parents expressed faith that the Indian government’s intervention will help get their daughter back.

“From today, we hand over Ariha to 140 crore Bhartiyas,” they said.

Notably, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, has been involved in the case since 2022, India Today reported.

On 2 June, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said Ariha’s continued stay in German foster care and “infringement” of her social, cultural and linguistic rights is of deep concern to the government of India and the parents.

“We would like to reiterate that Ariha Shah is an Indian national and her nationality and socio-cultural background is the most important determinant of where her foster care is to be provided,” Bagchi added.

Meanwhile, the German Embassy in India did not comment on the matter when approached by Firstpost.

How did Ariha end up in foster care?

The toddler was born in Germany in 2021. According to her parents, she was rushed to a hospital the same year after “grandmother accidentally hurt her causing injury to her outer genital area.”

The hospital alerted the authorities saying that they suspected “sexual assault.”

The German officials put Ariha in foster case and also booked her parents for “child abuse.” They dropped the assault charges following a probe, an Indian Express report said.

No cases against Ariha’s parents

A case of negligence was registered instead. This case was also dropped in 2022. Despite this, the toddler was not handed over to her parents.

The Jugendamt has filed a case for permanent custody of the child.

The most important question that the German authorities now have to answer is why Ariha’s custody is nit being granted to the parents after all charges against them were dropped.

Even after the latest court order, Ariha’s parents were not charged. So on what basis is the German state seeking the Indian toddler’s permanent custody?

Another issue that has concerned the parents is that the German officials are placing Ariha in a facility for special needs child despite her not being one.

As the legal battle goes on, concerns over Ariha’s well-being continue to rise.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.