On December 8, 2025, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court made a decision about a custody case involving a little girl named S. Selva Sowmiya. Her mom, S. Premalatha, wanted the court to help get her daughter back from her husband's sister.
S. Premalatha filed a request because she believed her daughter was being kept without permission by her husband’s sister, M. Juliet Flarence, in Ramanathapuram District. The case was heard by Judge G.K. Ilanthiraiyan and Judge R. Poornima.
The court looked into the situation and found out that S. Premalatha and her husband, Samuvelruban, were having some personal issues. Because of these problems, they were living separately. Their daughter, who is almost 5 years old, was staying with her dad and being cared for by her aunt, M. Juliet Flarence.
The judges decided that the request for immediate release wasn't the right way to handle this case. They said:
"Custody of the minor child with the father would not amount to kidnapping of a child and there is no illegal custody."
Basically, this means that since the child was with her dad, it wasn't against the law. If S. Premalatha wants custody of her daughter, she needs to go to a different court that deals with family matters.
The court decided that the child staying with her dad and aunt was not illegal. If the mom wants to change the custody situation, she should go to a family court.
