In a heartwarming turn of events, a separated couple in Surat has agreed to reunite, bringing a happy resolution to a high-profile legal dispute that centered on their seven-year-old daughter's proposed initiation into Jain monastic life. The reunion comes just days after a family court judge halted the minor's diksha ceremony, which was scheduled for February 2026 in Mumbai.
A Compromise Forged in Court
On Friday, January 3, 2026, the parents appeared before Judge S V Mansuri of the Surat Family Court with a mutually agreed compromise formula. The court accepted the conditions, leading to an emotional embrace between the husband and wife outside the courtroom. This marked the end of a year-long separation and a bitter legal battle over child custody and the elder daughter's spiritual future.
The core of the compromise is a clear directive regarding the child's potential religious path. The document states that no initiation into monkhood should take place as per an earlier affidavit. Crucially, it adds that if such an initiation is considered in the future, the explicit consent of both father and mother is mandatory, and there should be "no pressure tactics" used to obtain it.
Terms of the Agreement
The detailed compromise formula outlines several key actions to restore familial harmony. Both parties have agreed to withdraw all pending applications from the family court and the Surat police. The father will withdraw his custody application filed with the court and the Child Welfare Committee, while the mother will withdraw her complaint submitted to the Surat police commissioner against her husband.
The document emphasizes that the couple should not repeat past mistakes, should live together respectfully, and resolve any future quarrels mutually. It also holds the witnesses to the compromise responsible should things go wrong again, allowing either party to file a legal complaint if the conditions are violated.
A Family's Joyful Reconciliation
Speaking to the media, the parents expressed profound relief and happiness. The mother stated, "We are happy that we are reunited. We have given an assurance to the court that we will not repeat old mistakes and live a happy life. Both my children are excited as well... they were missing their father." She clarified that the decision to compromise was reached during a meeting convened by community religious leaders and family members, with no external pressure.
The father, a share market trader, shared his emotional relief, saying, "I was alone for a long time, and now I will get my lost family, and such a reunion cannot be described in words. I can also concentrate on my business now." Following the court hearing, the children met their father, and sweets were distributed among relatives and lawyers present, celebrating the newfound peace.
Background of the Legal Case
The couple, both Surat residents, married in June 2012 and have two children: the 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy. The marital discord began in 2024 when the wife left her in-laws' home with the children. Subsequently, the mother sent her daughter under the care of a Jain spiritual leader, agreeing to her initiation into monkhood at a major event in Mumbai from February 4 to 8, 2026.
The father discovered this plan from an invitation card shared in a local Jain community WhatsApp group. After failing to persuade his wife, he moved the family court under The Guardian and Wards Act, 1890. He argued that as a financially sound parent, he could provide for his children, and that taking diksha as a minor would "snatch her better future." He contended that serving the community could be done through various professions like law, medicine, or engineering.
On December 22, Judge Mansuri ordered a halt to the diksha ceremony, following an undertaking from the mother that her daughter would not participate in the February event. This interim order paved the way for the eventual compromise and family reunion witnessed in court.
