World

Indian couple seeks legal sanction for adoption in Uganda

Anjali

A couple, currently residing in Nairobi and employed by different companies, maintains their Indian citizenship and passports without renouncing them. On August 12, 2014, they embarked on the adoption journey by filing an application with the jurisdictional Family and Children Court at Makindye, in the capital city of Uganda, Kampala. The purpose was to obtain a care order in line with the applicable laws of the country. Since both individuals remain Indian citizens, they submitted an email application to CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority) on June 8, 2023, seeking legal sanction for the adoption. Upon not receiving a response from the agency, they approached the high court for assistance. Previously, they resided in Uganda from 2011 to 2018 and then moved to Kenya in 2019.

On July 20, 2015, the High Court of Uganda granted them guardianship of the child, officially recognizing them as the adoptive parents and granting them all associated rights. The petitioners emphasized that inter-country adoption is widely acknowledged as a norm under the 1995 Hague Convention. In contrast, the Deputy Solicitor General of India proposed issuing a support letter to the parents, deemed appropriate for their entry and exit from India. Judge M Nagaprasanna noted that if the rights of the involved parties have been conclusively determined, such orders would become enforceable through the domestic court system.