Child Custody Interim Visitation Rights: What to Do When the Court Doesn't Act Fast Enough

Rohan Kapoor, a resident of Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, came to us in a state of visible distress in early June 2026. He had been fighting for time with his four-year-old daughter ever since his wife, Priya Kapoor, moved out of their shared home in Salt Lake, Kolkata, and took the child along. A custody petition had been filed in the Family Court at Lucknow, and the very first hearing took place on 7 June 2026.

The court's notice had clearly stated that if the respondent did not appear, an interim order would follow. Priya did not appear. But nothing happened. The judge adjourned the matter by two months. Rohan's then-advocate did not press for an interim visitation order either, and the opportunity was lost entirely. Rohan left that courtroom without any enforceable right to see his own child, even on weekends.

That's when he approached Advocate Sudhir Rao's office. The assessment was immediate: an application for interim visitation could still be filed on an urgent basis, with a proper affidavit setting out the child's welfare and the father's genuine involvement in the child's upbringing. The critical difference this time was that the application was drafted with specific reliance on the child's right to parental contact, supported by school records and photographs. The Family Court, on the very next hearing, granted bi-weekly supervised visitation. A general practice approach had earlier let the moment pass. A focused, matter-specific strategy changed the outcome within weeks.

You can read about this case in detail at https://sudhirrao.com/child-custody-interim-visitation-rights-family-court-india/