Russian woman may have left India with kid

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its displeasure at the Centre's submission in a custody case that the Russian woman fighting with her estranged Indian husband for their child's custody has gone missing and probably went back to Russia.

- Suchitra Kalyan Mohanty @ New Delhi

The two-judge Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi called the situation "unacceptable" and observed that it was "gross contempt of court".

The Bench said in its order on Monday: "Her passport is seized. How could she get a duplicate passport? It could not have been possible without the help of some officials at the Russian Embassy. It is a gross contempt of court. It is totally unacceptable. We will be passing some harsh orders and direct for issuing a Red Corner notice, and then authorities will have to act."

The Centre's submission that the woman had left India came as a surprise, as it had previously told the apex court that the Russian mother has not left the country, at least through legal means.