Overview

• Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi questioned the petitioner’s standing, asked why he was in Goa, and warned of possible deportation before allowing him to withdraw the plea.
• The withdrawal removes the immediate Supreme Court challenge to a Karnataka High Court order permitting the Union government to issue documents for the family’s return to Russia.
• Authorities said Russia issued emergency travel documents valid from September 25 to October 9 after receiving a DNA report for the younger child, and exit permits have been sought.
• The mother, identified as Nina Kutina, overstayed a visa that expired in 2017 and was found with her two daughters living in a cave near Gokarna before being placed in protective care.
• Petitioner Dror Shlomo Goldstein claimed to be the father and cited the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but courts noted the mother’s wish to return and Russia’s readiness to receive them.