'We hand over Ariha to 140 crore Bhartiyas': German court denies Indian baby's custody to parents

A court in Berlin’s Pankow denied custody of 27-month-old baby Ahira Shah to her parents. The baby girl will be handed over to Germany’s Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt) where she has been in custody since September 2021.

Dismissing the claims made by her parents that the injuries on Ahira were “accidental”, the court ordered her custody to be transferred to the German state on Friday, according to India Today.

The court rejected the application of Dhara and Bhavesh Shah to return their child or at least hand her over to the Indian Welfare Service, the third party authorised to be a part of the case.

The court justified its verdict by saying that its order is in the “best interests of the child are at risk.”

Ariha’s parents have, however, not lost hope, saying that they have faith in the Indian government and have expressed confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EAM S Jaishankar to do their best to bring their baby back to them.

“From today, we hand over Ariha to 140 crore Bhartiyas,” they said in a statement given after the verdict was pronounced.

Ariha was first sent to foster care in Germany in 2021 after her parents were accused of abusing her.

Earlier this month, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi wrote a letter urging the German authorities “to do all that is necessary to send Ariha to India at the earliest, which is also her inalienable right as an Indian national.”

Meanwhile, 59 members of parliament from 19 political parties including the BJP, Congress, the Left and the Trinamool Congress came together to back Baby Ariha’s case. They wrote a letter to German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann to do everything that is possible to repatriate the child to India.

“We, Members from both Houses of India’s Parliament, belonging to 19 political parties across the political spectrum are writing this joint letter to you with an urgent request regarding the repatriation to India of Ariha Shah, a two-year-old baby girl, a citizen of India as are her parents Dhara and Bhavesh Shah. The family was in Berlin as the baby’s father was employed in a company there. The family should have been back in India by now but for some tragic events,” the Indian lawmakers wrote

“We do not cast aspersions on any agency in your country and assume that whatever was done was thought to be in the best interests of the baby,” the letter by Indian parliamentarians read.

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