Delhi HC directs opening of children room on Sundays, second Saturdays

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued a directive stating that the children room in all district courts across the national capital must remain open on every Sunday and second Saturday from 10 a. m. to 5 p.m.

This move aims to facilitate visitation with children on these days, addressing the limitation of district courts being closed on Sundays and second Saturdays.

The division bench, comprising Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, stressed the importance of ensuring that parties involved in litigation can avail the benefit of visitation even on weekends.

The court said: "Surely, if the children room remains open, a party to litigation can have the benefit of visitation on these days as well."

The bench further ordered that the children room in every district must be accessible on Sundays and second Saturdays during the specified time frame.

This allows any court issuing a visitation order to direct that the visitation takes place in the children room of the family court or district court on these designated days.

To implement this decision, the court instructed the Registrar General of the High Court to issue necessary directions to the district judge or principal judge of family courts in every district in the city.

The court's order was made in response to an appeal filed by a father challenging a family court decision that denied him overnight access to his minor children but permitted visitation for two hours on every third Saturday in the children room of Saket family court.

Considering the father's plea, the court extended the visitation right by one hour on third Saturdays in the children room, also allowing grandparents to avail visitation for one and half hours on the designated day.