'Ego' a three-letter word that spoils relationships; parents must shut down egos for welfare of children: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court recently said that parents going through matrimonial acrimony must let go of their egos for the sake of the welfare of their children [Karthika v. Superintendent of Police]. .A Division Bench of Justices S Vaidyanathan and C Saravanan said that if couples fail to keep their acrimony and egos aside, they will subject their children to grave mental agony."Insofar as the present case is concerned, the parties should bear in mind that ego is just a small three letter word, which can destroy a big twelve letter word called relationship, as ego and love will not travel together," the Court said..The Court made the observations while dismissing a habeas corpus petition filed by a woman who had accused her estranged husband of kidnapping their four-year-old son. However, on going through the case records, the Court realised that the petitioner woman had voluntarily left the child with his father before going to her parents' home for the delivery of her second child. The Court said it could not entertain the plea, since the son was with his father since 2020, when the petitioner went to her parental home, and not in illegal custody. It, however, granted her liberty to approach the appropriate forum to seek custody of her son, since the husband had initiated divorce proceedings. "Be that as it may, this goes without saying that this Court cannot decide about the custody of the child and it is for the petitioner, being a mother to work out her remedy before the appropriate forum for custody of the child. This Court in exercise of its jurisdiction can at the most see whether the detenu is in illegal custody of anyone or not and in this case, it cannot, at any stretch of imagination, be said that the child is in the illegal custody of the 3rd respondent (husband) for the reason stated above," the order stated..The Court also quoted from a previous order passed in March last year, where it had held that married couples must treat "ego and intolerance like footwear and leave them outside, before entering their homes." .Advocate G Balamanikandan appeared for the petitioner. Additional Public Prosecutor R Muniyapparaj appeared for the respondents..[Read order]