Indore siblings report parents to police for scolding them over screen time.

The parents contended that they were merely exercising normal parental discipline. Their daughter, 21, and son, 8, had taken them to the cops over being scolded for excessive usage of mobile phones and watching TV.

This unusual event unfolded on October 25, 2021, when the siblings reached the Chandan Nagar police station, alleging that their parents even thrashed them for their screen habits. The police not only filed a case but also invoked stringent charges that could lead to imprisonment for up to seven years.

The case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Juvenile Justice Act, including cruelty to child and corporal punishment. Advocate Dharmendra Chaudhary, representing the parents, stated that the High Court has issued an interim stay on the trial.

The parents contended that they were merely exercising normal parental discipline, a common practice in many households facing similar issues with children’s screen time. They explained that the children had been repeatedly counseled before they were scolded and their actions were within the bounds of normal parenting.

The parents claimed that the police acted unilaterally without considering their side of the story. They argued in court that scolding children is a normal thing and happens in every house.

The children had been living with their paternal aunt since dragging their parents to the cops, which has aggravated the situation due to an ongoing dispute between their father and his sister.