Supreme Court Tells Warring Parents, 'Your Child is Not a Shuttlecock,'

While hearing a petition on deciding the custody of a child, the Supreme Court said, "Your child is not a shuttlecock to be tossed between the father and mother,'' when saw the argument between the parents of four-year-old daughter.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, R M Lodha made this remark today during the hearing on a petition filed by the parents challenging the Madras High Court's order directing the father to take custody of the child for four days in a week. The child could spend the remaining three days in a week with her mother, the High Court had mandated.

"This order has to be corrected and the child can't be put to pain like this,'' said the Supreme Court which found fault with the High Court order.

The child's parents were hail from Tamil Nadu and are living separately. They are too disagreed with the High Court order.

When the father is represented in the Supreme Court by senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi as his lawyer and the mother has fielded senior advocate Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

While the mother is represented in the Supreme Court by senior advocate Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, .

In today's hearing, as the father and mother traded charges in infidelity, the bench directed the child to be brought before it on Monday. It also asked advocates V Mohana and Madhavi Diwan to speak to the child to find out about her preference - whether she would like to stay with her mother, or her father