Chandigarh, Sept. 13 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court (HC), while giving custody of a child to the mother, has asserted that small children have a special bond with the mother that not even father can substitute.

"There can be nothing more cruel than to deprive an infant of a mother's care, love and affection. This is a well-recognised feature of basic human nature, borne out of experience and is also statutorily recognised," the bench of justice Shalini Singh Nagpal observed while rejecting a request from the father to grant custody of a two-year-old child.

In the case at hand, the mother had approached the HC seeking the release of the girl child from her father and his family members. Both husband and wife had a second marriage. ...