With just over a month left for the first death anniversary of NRI techie Priyadarshini, who had an untimely death, her father Subraya S. Desai, a retired principal in Dharwad, has something of a consolation, as the hurdles over the parental responsibility of his two grandchildren have been resolved. The two children have now returned to India from Australia with their father Lingaraj Patil.
Tragic death
Last year, Priyadarshini died by suicide by jumping into a river, reportedly depressed over her inability to get the custody of her children from the Australian government. The body of Priyadarishini, an engineer who had migrated to Australia with Mr. Lingaraj Patil, was found in the backwaters of the Malaprabha reservoir in Naviluteertha of Belagavi district on Aug 20, 2023.
Mr. Desai had subsequently approached the Union government through the then Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, by sending a memorandum to then Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar, seeking help to fulfil the โlast wishโ of his daughter that the parental responsibility of her children should be given to their maternal grandparents.
Close to a year after the death of Priyadrashini, legal hurdles pertaining to getting the parental responsibility transferred from the Department of Community Justice (DCJ, Childcare Protection Agency) in Australia have been resolved and the children have returned to India.
Meeting with Minister
On Saturday, Mr. Desai, along with his grandchildren, met Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi at his residence in Hubballi, and thanked him for his help in getting the children back. Mr. Desai said their return would give peace to the soul of his late daughter who had fought for the cause.
Mr. Joshi said that there were several legal issues in bringing back the children from Australia, which were taken up with Mr. Jaishankar. Subsequently, the Indian High Commission had pursued the issue with the Australia High Commission following which the children had now returned to India, he added.
