Karnataka High Court Approves Return of Russian Woman and Daughters Found Living in Cave

Nina Kutina had expressed her desire to return to Russia as soon as possible

The Karnataka High Court on Friday granted permission to the Union Government to issue travel documentation facilitating the return of a Russian woman and her two minor daughters who were discovered residing in a cave in coastal Karnataka.

Justice B M Shyam Prasad delivered the order while addressing a petition submitted by Israeli national Dror Shlomo Goldstein, who claims paternity of the children. Goldstein had petitioned the court seeking an instruction to prevent the Centre from immediately deporting the minor children.

The woman, identified as Nina Kutina, was discovered on July 11 inhabiting a cave in the Ramatirtha Hills near Gokarna in Kumta taluk. Officials reported that she and her children had been living there for approximately two months without valid travel or residence documentation.

Goldstein had previously filed a complaint at the Panaji police station in Goa in December last year after failing to locate his children in India.

During Friday's proceedings, the court documented that the Russian consulate had issued emergency travel papers for Kutina and her daughters, valid only until October 9. It also acknowledged Kutina's personal communication to the consulate, expressing her wish to return to Russia at the earliest opportunity.

Goldstein's legal representative opposed deportation, contending that such action would contradict the best interests of the children while custody proceedings remained unresolved. The court, however, noted that Goldstein failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for why the mother and children had been living in isolation in a cave prior to their rescue.

Emphasizing the principle of children's welfare, the bench stated that the mother's request to return to Russia and the Russian government's willingness to facilitate their repatriation outweighed other considerations.

At a previous hearing on August 22, Goldstein's legal team had cited the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, while Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Arvind Kamath had assured the court that Kutina and her daughters were receiving care at the Foreigners Restriction Centre for Women.

He had also clarified that deportation would not proceed immediately, as DNA tests were pending to establish parentage of the younger child, who lacked official documentation such as a passport or birth certificate.

During Friday's hearing, the ASG informed the court that the DNA report for the second daughter had been received and communicated to the Russian government, which subsequently issued Russian citizenship and emergency travel documents (ETD) enabling their travel to Russia.