Services Hospital Medical Superintendent (MS) assured the Lahore High Court (LHC) here on Wednesday that an 'unclaimed' minor boy will not be handed over to anyone till final decision of the court on petitions moved by three claimants of the child.
The MS Dr Rehana Malik appeared before the court in a petition of one Ghayasudin who accused the hospital administration of not allowing him to meet his adopted son. The petitioner submitted that he and his wife being an issueless couple had filed an application to district co-ordination officer Lahore seeking permission to adopt an unclaimed child. He said their application was allowed and they were given the guardianship of an unclaimed male baby on March 1, 2012. The baby was named Muhammad Abdullah, but after few days the baby fell sick and he took him to the Services Hospital for treatment.
The petitioner submitted that the baby was admitted to the hospital but the MS restrained him from visiting the baby and disallowed his custody. The MS told him that one Saleem Ahmad had also filed petition in the LHC for the custody of the baby, therefore, the baby could not be given to him without court orders. The MS also informed to the court that three identical petitions were pending adjudication before different judges in the LHC seeking custody of the same unclaimed child.
She therefore requested to the court to hear all the cases jointly so that issue be resolved through one decision. The court accepted the plea and referred the matter to chief justice with a request to consolidate all the petitions and adjourned hearing for one week. In the meantime, the court directed the MS not to award custody of the child to any of the claimants.