PANAJI
Months after a Russian-origin woman and her two daughters were rescued from a cave on Gokarna’s Ramatirtha Hill, the Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on her husband who, it emerged, was holidaying in Goa while his wife and children lived in the forest.
The Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a plea filed by Dror Shlomo Goldstein against a Karnataka High Court order to deport his wife, Nina Kutina and their daughters back to their home country.
The Bench questioned Goldstein’s conduct, particularly his stay in Goa even as his family lived in a cave after overstaying their visa for more than eight years.
“Why should we not direct your deportation?” Justice Kant asked bluntly, while Justice Bagchi remarked, “Publicity litigation… What were you doing when your children were living in a cave?” Justice Kant further pressed, “What were you doing staying in Goa?”
Following the sharp rebuke, Goldstein withdrew his petition. Before concluding, Justice Kant observed, “This country has become a haven... anybody comes and stays.”
The Goa police, on the other hand, are inquiring whether Goldstein’s wife and their underage daughters ever came to Goa during their visa expiry period. "Even if they arrived in Goa prior to their visa expiry, it is within our legal powers to inquire about their place of stay, duration and activities they carried out in Goa," an officer added.
On July 9 this year, police patrolling Ramatirtha Hill discovered Kutina and her two daughters living in a cave in the forested area. The woman reportedly told police that she had come from Goa “to worship God and meditate.”
Police found the mother-daughter had overstayed since April 17, 2017. Kutina and her children are currently under the care of the Women’s Reception Centre pending repatriation formalities.
Goldstein had cited international conventions, urging the court to consider the “best interests of the children” and prevent what he termed a “sudden deportation.”
However, both the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court questioned his role and responsibility.
