Baby Ariha's Fate Hangs as India Urged to Act Before German Chancellor's Visit

In a press release issued on Saturday, the group said Ariha has remained under the custody of German Child Services (Jugendamt) in Berlin despite the closure of all police cases against her parents in February 2022. Ariha was taken into foster care in September 2021 and has since been moved across five different foster homes, the release stated.

According to the Save Ariha Team, a higher court in Germany in 2024 had recommended placing the child in a parent-child facility with her parents. However, the recommendation was not implemented, and custody remains with German authorities. At present, no active legal proceedings regarding Ariha's custody are pending in Germany, leaving her future uncertain.

The group raised serious concerns over what it described as violations of Ariha's fundamental rights. It stated that the child is not allowed to meet Indian individuals or celebrate Indian festivals and is being raised entirely in a German-only environment, without exposure to her Indian cultural, religious, or linguistic identity.

"Ariha was taken into foster care in September 2021 and, in the four and a half years since, has been moved between five different foster homes, denying her any sense of stability or security. The Higher Court in 2024 had recommended placement in a parent-child facility with her parents, yet this recommendation was ignored, and custody remains with German authorities. At present, no active legal case is ongoing in Germany regarding Ariha's custody, leaving her future uncertain and her rights violated," the group said.

The release further claimed that the Indian Embassy in Germany has not been informed of Ariha's exact location or condition, and does not have unrestricted access to visit her. The Save Ariha Team said the denial of cultural identity and isolation at such a young age amounts to emotional and mental harm.

Highlighting international obligations, the group said depriving a child of her mother tongue, religion, and cultural exposure violates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), to which both India and Germany are signatories.

The Save Ariha Team also flagged financial concerns, stating that German foster care authorities have billed Ariha's parents nearly ₹22 lakh for foster care expenses from September 2021 to June 2024. The parents have reportedly been asked to pay ₹55,000 per month until the child turns 18, along with additional charges of around ₹16 lakh for court-appointed experts, translators, and administrative costs.

The group said Ariha's parents are facing severe financial hardship following job losses and prolonged legal proceedings, and described the charges as unjust and exploitative.

With the German Chancellor's visit to India scheduled for mid-January 2026, the Save Ariha Team called on the Indian government to raise Ariha's case at the highest diplomatic level. It said India has the legal and institutional framework to ensure the child's safety, welfare, and cultural upbringing.

Meanwhile, John Brittas, CPI(M) MP from Kerala, has written a letter to the Union Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, urging urgent high-level diplomatic intervention during the forthcoming visit of the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to secure the repatriation of Baby Ariha Shah, an Indian citizen who has remained in foster care in Germany for over four and a half years despite the closure of all criminal allegations against her parents.

In his letter, Brittas highlighted that Ariha, now approximately five years old, continues to remain under the custody of German Child Services even after the German hospital concerned has categorically ruled out any evidence of abuse and a court-appointed psychologist has recommended restoration of parental custody. Yet, German authorities persist in pursuing termination of parental rights and adoption within Germany.

- ANI