By Manisha Roy,News18

Copyright news18

The Karnataka High Court on Friday permitted the Union Government to issue travel documents to enable a Russian woman, Nina Kutina, and her two minor daughters, who were found living in a cave in coastal Karnataka, to return to Russia.
The trio had been living in a cave in the Ramatirtha Hills near Gokarna for nearly two months, reportedly without valid travel or residence documents .
Justice BM Shyam Prasad passed the order while hearing a petition by Israeli national, Dror Shlomo Goldstein, who claims to be the father of the children. Goldstein had approached the court seeking to prevent the immediate deportation of the minors, arguing that custody proceedings were still ongoing and deportation would not serve the children’s best interests, news agency PTI reported.
The court, however, noted that Kutina had personally expressed to the Russian consulate her desire to return to her home country at the earliest. The consulate subsequently issued emergency travel documents for the mother and daughters, valid until October 9.
While Goldstein’s counsel opposed the move, the court found no satisfactory explanation from him regarding why the woman and children were living in a cave prior to their rescue. The bench emphasized that the mother’s expressed wishes and the Russian government’s willingness to facilitate their return took precedence, citing the welfare of the children as paramount.
In an earlier hearing, Goldstein’s legal team had cited the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Arvind Kamath had assured the court that the family was being housed and cared for at the Foreigners Restriction Centre for Women.
The ASG further informed the court on Friday that DNA testing had confirmed the younger daughter’s identity, leading the Russian authorities to issue her citizenship and emergency travel documents, thereby clearing the way for their return.