‘Needs mother’: Punjab and Haryana High Court grants 4-year-old’s custody to woman

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted custody of a four-year-old boy to his mother, emphasizing that a young child requires constant maternal care and affection to thrive. Justice Jasjit Singh Bedi made the decision in a habeas corpus case filed by the mother, who demanded access to her son after being barred from returning home in March 2025.

The boy, born in April 2022, is now four years and four months old. While the father's presence is not denied, the court determined that a mother's continuous and pervasive presence is crucial at this tender age. The couple married in September 2019, and the court considered a previous mediation attempt that had not resulted in a permanent arrangement.