By Admin 
While hearing a case on Monday (January 19, 2026), the Supreme Court talked about relations with Russia and said that it does not want any of its orders to spoil relations with Russia. This hearing was being held regarding the ongoing dispute between an Indian husband and a Russian wife. The woman had moved to Moscow with her child amid a bitter dispute over maintenance with her estranged Indian husband. The court has directed the Center to locate the woman and child within four weeks.
According to PTI report, the bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submission of Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Central Government, that serious efforts were being made to trace the woman and the child. Aishwarya Bhati told that Interpol notices have also been issued to find him and bring him back to India.
The law officer said, ‘I have received some new information…please give us a few more weeks’ time. We will file an updated report. He also said that Russia is India’s ‘evergreen friend’, on which the bench also agreed and gave four weeks’ time to the Centre. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had filed the report in a sealed envelope.
The court asked the law officer to ‘continually raise this issue with the Indian Embassy in Moscow so that the Russian Investigative Committee can be requested to trace the child and the petitioner-mother.’ This woman was living in India since 2019. The woman had come here on X-1 visa, the validity of which had expired. However, during the court proceedings, the Supreme Court directed for extension of the visa period from time to time.
The bench told Aishwarya Bhati, ‘We do not want to pass any order that will spoil the relations between India and Russia, but this is a case in which a child is involved. We can only hope that the child is healthy and safe with his mother. Hope this is not a case of human trafficking…’
On July 21 last year, the court was told that the Russian woman left the country with the child through the Nepal border. It was suspected that she had reached her country via Sharjah. The husband alleged that his estranged wife was not following the court order regarding custody of the child. The man claimed that he had no information about the whereabouts of the woman and the child.
The Supreme Court directed on May 22, 2025 that the child should be kept with the mother for three days a week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and for the remaining days the child will remain with his father.
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