Page 9 - Seniors Today Magazine April 2024
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Since a crime had been committed, Vinod authorities asking for help against
lodged a FIR at their local police station the continuing abuse by Ramesh and
against Ramesh and Anita for an offence Anita. They also placed a notice in some
punishable u/s 380, 420, 465, 468, 471, newspapers, publicly disowning their
467 a/w 34 of the Indian Penal Code. son. To harass the parents even further,
Ramesh was arrested by the police and the Ramesh and Anita registered false cases
bank accounts of Ramesh and Anita were against them.
frozen. Finally, having reached the end of their
Ramesh sought forgiveness and requested tether, the parents consulted a lawyer
his father to help him in getting bail and and filed a complaint before the Forum of
promised to return the entire amount Senior Citizens under the Maintenance
encashed by him and Anita. Out of love for and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens
his child, the father obliged. After coming Act, 2007, praying for maintenance and
out of prison on bail, Ramesh requested eviction of the son. After going through
his father to quash the FIR against him the case documents, the Officer passed
and promised to soon return all the an order of eviction against the son and
money. Ramesh being their only child, daughter-in-law. (Note: Police have no role
the couple became emotional, and agreed. to play as far as this Act is concerned since
After quashing the FIR, the bank accounts it is a civil matter. But the senior citizens
of Ramesh and Anita were unfrozen. can make an application before the Sub-
However, instead of returning the parents’ Divisional Officer seeking protection of
life savings, the son and daughter-in-law the police for executing the order of the
started abusing them and made their Tribunal.)
life miserable. They wanted the parents Their grown-up child’s love of money can
to leave the house and also demanded wipe the smile off a loving parent’s face
ownership of the family business, which This order was challenged by Ramesh and
was the means of livelihood of the parents. Anita but the provision to appeal under
The couple was threatened with physical the Act is available only to senior citizens.
abuse and they began to fear for their lives. They then filed a criminal writ petition
in the High Court under Article 227 of
the Constitution to challenge the order
of the Tribunal and Appellate Tribunal.
In the meanwhile, the eviction order was
executed. The High Court suggested that
the parties should come to a settlement and
withdraw all the cases pending before all
the courts against each other. The matter
was referred to mediation but it failed.
Vinod and Sushila registered non- Later, the High Court passed an order in
cognizable cases with the police several favor of the senior citizens, upholding the
times against their son and daughter- eviction order passed by the Officer against
in-law. They also wrote letters to the the son and his wife. (Circa 1992).
Commissioner of Police and other
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #58 | APRIL 2024 9
