New Delhi, July 3 -- The Delhi High Court has observed that courts cannot permit a litigant to derive legal advantage from deliberate disobedience of judicial orders, stressing that the doctrine that a child has become "settled" in a particular country cannot be invoked to reward continued non-compliance with a binding judicial direction.

The Court held that allowing such a plea would undermine judicial discipline, encourage forum shopping and incentivise parents to evade adverse custody orders by creating a fait accompli across international borders. A Division Bench observed that in matters concerning children, the welfare of the child is the paramount consideration and must remain the "North Star" guiding every judicial decision.

The...