A judge has postponed a hearing on a lawsuit by human rights groups challenging the Malawian government's decision to allow pop star Madonna to start adoption procedures for a motherless 13-month-old boy.
In Lilongwe, Judge Andrew Nyirenda postponed a hearing on the case until next Friday to give Attorney General Jane Ansah time to consult with the Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Services.
"We are ready for the case, but the attorney general wants to consult with the Ministry of Gender on the whole adoption process," said Alan Chinula, a lawyer representing Madonna. "Our position is all legal aspects were followed.
Madonna and filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie have been given temporary custody as a step toward adopting David Banda, who has spent most of his young life in an orphanage after his mother died of complications from giving birth.
His father has said he was too poor to raise the boy on his own and that he wanted the Madonna and Ritchie to adopt him. The boy was flown to London on Tuesday and taken to Madonna's home there.
The singer said in a statement that she and her husband had followed the law in the adoption process that would be completed after an 18-month evaluation process by Malawian authorities.
Normally, prospective parents in Malawi are given custody and required to be monitored for 18 months to determine their fitness. The regulations make no special provisions for foreigners.
Yohane Banda, the father of the boy, has denounced efforts by human rights groups to challenge the adoption.
"Where were these people when David was struggling in the orphanage? These so-called human rights groups should leave my baby alone," he said.
Undule Mwakasungura, a lawyer for the Human Rights Consultative Committee, a grouping of 67 human rights groups, said the committee "is not necessarily against the adoption," it just wants the laws to be followed.