Unseen Realities of Custody Battles in India

During my internship at the district court, I saw a case of custody battle between a couple who got divorced after 10 years of marriage. The wife was requesting custody of their five-year-old daughter citing that she's the primary caregiver since the child was born. The husband, on the other hand, claimed that he's a businessman who travels frequently and the wife would be a better custodian. What surprised me was that the court ultimately granted custody to the mother but with a condition - the father had to pay her a significant amount of money for the child's maintenance every month. This 'cash consideration' for child's custody raises questions about the effectiveness of the law in protecting the child's interests.