Archive · 22 Dec 2025
Surat Court Halts 7-Year-Old's Monkhood Initiation
A family in India is having a disagreement about their 7-year-old daughter.
The mother wants the daughter to become a Jain monk, which is a big religious decision.
The father doesn't want this to happen because he thinks the daughter is too young to make such a big choice.
The father went to court to ask for custody of his daughter and to stop the initiation ceremony.
The court said the mother can't make the daughter participate in the ceremony until the next hearing.
The mother says the father knew about this and agreed, but the father says he was forced to go to meetings and didn't really agree.
The court will decide more about this on January 2, 2025.
The Surat Family Court granted interim relief to the father, halting the 7-year-old's initiation into Jain monkhood until the next hearing.
The mother filed an affidavit stating the Diksha ceremony, scheduled for February 4-8, 2026, has been 'put on hold'.
The father seeks custody of his children and opposes the initiation at a tender age, arguing the child should make an informed choice.
The mother claims the father was aware and consented to the initiation, showing photographs of him attending meetings with the spiritual leader.
The father alleges he was coerced into attending meetings and threatened with divorce proceedings if he objected.
- Who
- A 7-year-old girl and her parents
- What
- Court intervention in the girl's initiation into Jain monkhood
- When
- The court hearing was on Monday, with the next hearing on January 2, 2025
- Where
- Surat Family Court, with the proposed Diksha in Borivali, Mumbai
- Why
- The father opposes the initiation at a tender age, while the mother claims it was done with his consent
- Child's Age
- 7 years old
- Proposed Diksha Dates
- February 4-8, 2026
- Location of Diksha
- Borivali, Mumbai
- Number of Participants
- 60 persons
- Father's Request
- Custody and to stop Diksha
- Mother's Stance
- Diksha with father's consent
- Next Court Hearing
- January 2, 2025
- Legal Act Cited
- Guardians and Wards Act, 1890