Gujarat high court nixes man’s plea to have daughters counselled to meet him

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court has dismissed a petition filed by a man seeking directions to his estranged wife to send their two minor daughters for counselling through a qualified child counsellor. The daughters have been reluctant to meet him.Justice J C Doshi upheld an order passed by a Valsad family court on Dec 18, 2025, imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the father, and ordered the amount to be paid to his two daughters — aged 7 and 8. In this case, the husband and wife began living separately, and the wife has now filed a divorce petition on the grounds of cruelty and impotency. The family court granted limited visitation rights on the basis of a compromise between the couple. However, when the man went to meet the daughters, they initially recognized him but later distanced themselves. The man alleged that the children were reluctant to meet him under the influence of their mother and sought counselling for them to address possible parental alienation. The HC noted that the matter before the family court was a divorce proceeding and not a child custody dispute. Acknowledging that the welfare of children is paramount, the HC said, "While the purpose of a counselling order is to reduce psychological trauma, help children process emotions, and improve their overall wellbeing amidst parental conflict, the children being of such tender age are unlikely to fully comprehend the complexities of the ongoing matrimonial dispute between their parents." The HC said, "Compelling children of such tender age to undergo counselling without sufficient justification would not be in their best interest and may in fact cause further emotional harm."
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