In Brief
A husband and wife, separated since 2013 with their son in India, settled their custody dispute through mediation with consent terms requiring reunion in the USA. When the wife refused to comply, the husband filed a contempt petition and the High Court punished her with six months civil imprisonment. The Supreme Court allowed both cross-appeals, setting aside the contempt conviction on grounds that a spouse cannot be forced through contempt to resume matrimonial relations, and the High Court had failed to examine who actually breached the settlement. The Court revived the Habeas Corpus petition for decision on the child's custody on merits by the High Court rather than enforcing the foreign custody order.
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