SACHIN DATTA, J. (Oral)

1. The present petition has been filed by the petitioners seeking that the respondent no. 2 [Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)] be directed to issue a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) for taking the petitioner no. 2 to Australia pursuant to the adoption of the petitioner no. 2 by the petitioner no. 1 and her husband.

2. The petitioner nos. 3 and 4 are the biological parents of the petitioner no. 2. The petitioner no. 1 is the adoptive mother of the petitioner no. 2. The petitioner no. 5 is the grandmother of the petitioner no. 2.

3. The petitioners belong to a Sikh family; the adoptive father [husband of the petitioner no. 1] is the elder brother of the biological father [petitioner no. 4]. The petitioner no. 1 and her husband (adoptive parents) are citizens of Australia. The petitioner no. 1 and her husband got married in the year 2014. They do not have a biological child. On the other hand, the petitioner nos. 3 and 4, who previously had a biological son, had given birth to the petitioner no. 2 on 22.01.2020.

4. It is stated that the petitioner no. 1 came to India on 20.01.2020 and was present in the hospital at the time of the birth of the petit