Oslo, April 18
The chances of two NRI children returning to India has brightened with the Norwegian Child Welfare Service, which has kept them in foster care, submitting in a court here that there is no need to uphold the care order and it was in the best interest of the kids to return to their home country.

During the hearing in the child welfare case involving two Indian children, which was held in Stavanger District Court yesterday, the CWS and the children's parents submitted a joint claim to the court stating that there is an agreement that the conditions for the children being taken into care have been met.

It also said, "There is no need to uphold the care order as the measures taken are considered to be sufficient in that the uncle is to take over the care of the children."

"The Child Welfare Service has, on the basis of an expert assessment, concluded that it is in the children’s best interests that they return home to India with their uncle," a statement by the Service said. A final judgement is expected on April 23.

Abhigyan (3) and Aishwarya (1) were taken away from their parents -- Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya -- by the CWS in May last year on grounds of "emotional disconnect".

Since then the case has taken various turns.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had taken up the matter with his Norwegian counterpart during the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul last month. — PTI