Supreme Court NEW DELHI: Inserting a new scrutiny dimension to child custody legal battles between estranged parents, Supreme Court has ruled that courts must first evaluate mental and psychological conditions of each parent and assess their abilities to deal with growing needs of a child before deciding such disputes.In application of the well-settled principle to serve “the best interest of the child’, courts, prior to awarding custody rights of a child, mandatorily interact with the child to understand with which parent his or her compatibility, comfort and cohesiveness is better.Inserting “parents’ assessment principle” to bitterly fought court battles between estranged couples, a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh Thursday said courts must not focus solely on the psychological test of a child but also that of the parents.Writing the judgment, Justice N Kotiswar Singh said, “While it is important to make an assessment as to how a child will respond to either of the parents, it is equally important to ascertain mental and psychological conditions of the parents themselves to deal with the needs of the growing child.”SC said the assessment of the parents’ psychological conditions must be conducted prior to a similar assessment of the child to understand compatibility with each of the parents.SC referred to a 2025 study by Nimhans, Bengaluru, covering issues such as parent-child relationship and interaction, parental dynamics, parental mental health issues, malicious acts by parents, adjustment to changes in child’s life, issues in school context and child mental health issues.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosIndia’s ‘Eye In The Sky’ Netra AEW&C To Receive Final Operational Clearance This MonthKolkata Government Building Fire Destroys 4,000 EVMs; Forensic Investigation UnderwayIndia On Border Alert As Jamaat’s Protest Call Raises Fresh Questions Over Bangladesh StabilityAbhishek Banerjee Replies to Kalyan Banerjee’s Remarks, Says He Will Not Speak Against HimSpaceX lists at $1.75 trillion — here’s what Indian investors need to know before buyingAIUDF To Challenge Assam UCC In Court, Says Law Is Not Truly UniformAI-171 Crash Probe Continues A Year Later; AAIB Says Final Report Yet To Be CompletedAIMIM Eyes Major Expansion In UP, Opens Door To Possible BSP Alliance | WatchIndira Gandhi Lost Her Party Twice — And Came Back Both Times. Can Mamata Banerjee?PM Modi To Showcase 120 Top Indian Startups In France; Global Investors Eye Opportunities123PhotostoriesSmriti Irani, Disha Vakani to Bharti Singh: Actresses who shot for their TV shows during pregnancyThink Osteoporosis is a women’s disease? Here’s why men should be concerned tooFrom Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott to Arjun Rampal and Mehr Jesia: 7 famous celebrities who got divorced after 20+ years of marriageFrom headaches to mobile phones: Brain tumour myths doctors want you to stop believingFrom Sujni to Manjusha: 10 artworks of Bihar and places travellers should visit to find themPower rituals for Gen Z based on your birth dateBefore R Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali became the ‘Golden Chess Siblings’; their mother built the foundation: How Nagalakshmi nurtured two grandmastersScientists discovered this 7-minute trick that completely resets a stressed brainSpanish love proverb of the day: “Love is blind, but the neighbours are not”Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian women cricket team captain’s, home in Moga, Punjab is a reflection of her humble roots, family values and cricketing success123Hot PicksSpaceX IPOKick StreamerJaspal RanaShakiraMP Board 12 Supplementary ResultISC Revaluation ResultSpaceX IPONora FatehiVirat KohliTop TrendingTMC rebel MPTravis KelceSpaceX IPOFIFA World Cup 2026Women T20 World CupSean SticklandBharatiya Antariksh HackathonKerala SSLC Revaluation ResultUPSC result 2026CBSE Class 10 Second Board Result
NEW DELHI: Inserting a new scrutiny dimension to child custody legal battles between estranged parents, Supreme Court has ruled that courts must first evaluate mental and psychological conditions of each parent and assess their abilities to deal with growing needs of a child before deciding such disputes.In application of the well-settled principle to serve “the best interest of the child’, courts, prior to awarding custody rights of a child, mandatorily interact with the child to understand with which parent his or her compatibility, comfort and cohesiveness is better.Inserting “parents’ assessment principle” to bitterly fought court battles between estranged couples, a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh Thursday said courts must not focus solely on the psychological test of a child but also that of the parents.Writing the judgment, Justice N Kotiswar Singh said, “While it is important to make an assessment as to how a child will respond to either of the parents, it is equally important to ascertain mental and psychological conditions of the parents themselves to deal with the needs of the growing child.”SC said the assessment of the parents’ psychological conditions must be conducted prior to a similar assessment of the child to understand compatibility with each of the parents.SC referred to a 2025 study by Nimhans, Bengaluru, covering issues such as parent-child relationship and interaction, parental dynamics, parental mental health issues, malicious acts by parents, adjustment to changes in child’s life, issues in school context and child mental health issues.
