"Frivolous": Supreme Court slams Israeli man who claimed to be father of Russian children found in Gokarna cave

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by an Israeli national claiming to be the father of two minor girls born to a Russian woman recently found living in a cave in Karnataka's Gokarna [Dror Shalom Goldstein vs. Union of India & Ors.].

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi refused to interfere with the order of the Karnataka High Court that had refused to stop the deportation of the woman and the children.

The High Court had noted that the woman herself had written to the Russian Consulate asking to return home.

The Supreme Court today rejected the man's appeal against the High Court and also question his bona fides and source of income.

“You are an Israeli. What is your interest in India? You go to Nepal, get your visa renewed and come back to Goa. What are you doing there (Goa)? What is your source of income?” Justice Kant demanded.

The woman and her two daughters were found in July 2025 living in a cave in the Ramatirtha Hills near Gokarna after reportedly staying there for nearly two months without valid travel documents.

The local police rescued them and placed them in a Foreigners Restriction Centre in Tumakuru under the supervision of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Following this, the Russian Consulate issued emergency travel papers for the family to return to Russia.

The petitioner, one Dror Shalom Goldstein, who had been living in Goa, then approached the High Court claiming to be the children’s father and asserting that deportation would violate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The High Court, however, rejected his plea after noting that he had failed to explain why the woman and the children were found living in a cave if he had indeed been supporting them.

It was this order that Goldstein challenged before the Supreme Court, arguing that the deportation was “illegal”.

He claimed he did not know whether the family had already been sent back to Russia.

Justice Surya Kant immediately asked what right he had to file such a petition, while Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked who the petitioner was.

When counsel said he was the father of the children, the bench questioned his conduct and absence during the period when the family was living in a cave.

“What did you do when your child was in a cave?” Justice Bagchi asked.

The counsel said he would “take care of all that,” but the bench was unconvinced. Justice Bagchi said there was nothing on record to show that Goldstein had ever supported the family.

“This is all publicity litigation,” Justice Bagchi said.

Justice Kant also asked Goldstein to produce official documents proving his paternity and questioned why he should not himself be deported.

“Please show us any official document that you have been declared father. Why should we not direct your deportation? You are sitting here in this country,” Justice Kant said.

Goldstein’s counsel replied that one of the children was born in India and therefore, had certain rights under Indian law, but the bench questioned his residence and source of income.

After briefly hearing the case, the bench dictated its order dismissing the plea.

“We find this SLP totally frivolous. Apparently, the petitioner approached the High Court as well as this Court for publicity or for some other extraneous reasons. Dismissed,” the bench said.

When the petitioner’s counsel sought permission to withdraw the plea, the Court allowed it.

Before rising, Justice Kant remarked,

“This country has become a haven for everybody. Whoever comes starts staying here.”