Norway children case: Next court hearing on 23 March

Oslo: The NRI couple fighting for the custody of their children in Norway today said they are "positive" that their suffering will end soon after a court here set 23 March as the date for next hearing in the case that sparked a diplomatic row."Next hearing is on March 23," Anurup Bhattacharya, father of Abhigyan (3) and Aishwarya (1) said. "We are positive about the outcome of the case," he toldPTI.[caption id="attachment_227103" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Screengrab/ ibnlive"][/caption]"Hopefully, the children will be able to return to India after the court hearing," Anurup said.Asked whether he met India's special envoy Madhusudhan Ganapathi who was rushed to Norway to find an expeditious and amicable solution to the custody row, Anurup said, "No I have not met him."However, he said his brother Arunabhash, who has agreed to be the prime caregiver to his children, met Norwegian child welfare officials.Ganapathi, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry, who today met Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store. "The Indian special envoy has had positive discussions with the Norwegian foreign minister in Oslo", official Spokesperson in the MEA Syed Akbaruddin, said in a tweet.Meanwhile, the grandparents of the two children held a sit-in near the Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi, demanding Norwegian government send the kids back to India immediately.The children were taken under protective care in May last year by Barnevarne, the Norwegian Child Welfare Services, on the ground of "emotional disconnect" with the parents, and placed them in foster parental care according to a localNorwegian court's directive.Last week, Norway had applied for extending the residence permits of Abhigyan and Aishwarya, prompting India to launch a renewed diplomatic offensive to expedite a solution to the issue which had sparked an outrage in India.PTI