Custody battle: Telangana High Court orders maternal grandma to return baby to father

The Telangana High Court has ruled that the maternal grandmother must return her 7-month-old grandson to his father, following a custody dispute arising from the death of the child's mother. The court's August 14 decision stated that the father, who was in stable employment, had a statutory right to custody of his minor son. The court observed that the grandmother had been unjustifiably detaining the baby, likely due to the remarriage of the father, which would jeopardize the child's wellbeing.

The father had previously entrusted the baby to his grandmother for a few days after his wife passed away from a terminal illness in March 2026, but the grandmother allegedly refused to allow the father or his parents to see or touch the infant. The court noted the father's financial strain, having spent Rs 73 lakhs on his wife's medical expenses, and his distress upon discovering that the grandmother had moved the baby to an undisclosed location without informing him.

The court concluded that the grandmother's actions were unreasonable and intended to prevent the father from interacting with his child.