A High Court judge has criticised a nine-year delay by the Adoption Authority of Ireland in making adoption orders for four Indian children living here since 2011 with couples anxious to adopt them. Mr Justice John Jordan said the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption required the relevant authorities “shall act expeditiously in the process of adoption”. The children were described as “orphans” in documents from the relevant Indian authority but other documents from the same authority said they had been “abandoned”. It appeared changes in Indian law would permit the prospective parents to adopt children from a Hindu background despite the prospective parents themselves not being Hindus. Other issues arose because it appeared, under Indian law, an adoption order cannot be sought retrospectively once guardianship has been granted.

Source: The Irish Times January 29, 2021 17:26 UTC