In Brief
In this guardianship case, the Supreme Court set aside the Family Court's judgment appointing the mother as sole guardian of a minor child, holding that the judgment was passed ex parte without proper notice or hearing to the father. The Family Court had disposed of the matter in less than eight days, allowing the mother's transposition and guardianship applications without following mandatory procedural requirements under the Guardians and Wards Act and Family Courts Act. The Court emphasized that procedural fairness and natural justice are fundamental to family law proceedings, and that a child's welfare must be determined on its own merits with a child-centric approach, not solely on the basis of conduct in unrelated proceedings. The case was remanded to the Family Court for fresh adjudication on proper notice and hearing to both parties.
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