In Brief
An Indian couple resident in India applied for domestic adoption, but the husband acquired US citizenship during their application process. When the adoption authority later treated them as inter-country adoption applicants, they challenged this via writ petition and contempt, citing their initial seniority. The Supreme Court held that acquiring foreign citizenship immediately changes an applicant's legal status and eligibility category, causing loss of domestic adoption seniority, regardless of regulatory silence on the matter. However, the child (Shomya) was ordered given to them as inter-country adoptees with priority, provided no domestic adoption applicants came forward within sixty days. The Court allowed the appeals and dismissed contempt proceedings, holding statutory procedures cannot be bypassed even in exceptional circumstances.
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