Breastfeeding a part of right to life under Constitution: Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court emphasized the importance of a mother’s right to breastfeed and a baby’s right to be breastfed as facets of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court overturned a decision by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to give custody of a breastfeeding infant to the father, stating that the committee’s judgment was based on moral bias. The court highlighted that the best interest of the child should be the primary concern and criticized the CWC for not taking into account the importance of breastfeeding for the infant. The court found the CWC’s decision to separate the infant from its mother as a violation of their fundamental rights and principles of natural justice.