New Delhi, March 4 -- The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the reunion of two brothers with intellectual and developmental disabilities, underscoring their "inseparable bond" as a key determinant in a custody battle between their parents that spanned two continents.
In a judgment that resonated with the complexities of caregiving for individuals with disabilities, a bench led by justice Surya Kant overturned a Madras high court ruling and directed that 21-year-old man - with a cognitive age of 8-10 years, be repatriated to the United States to live with his younger brother (19) and mother, ruling against his father, who had retained custody in India.
The bench, also comprising justice N Kotiswar Singh, invoked the "parens patriae" doctrine...