UP HC asks Lucknow DM to ensure safety to elderly couple threatened by daughters

The Allahabad High Court has ordered Lucknow district magistrate to provide protection to a retired 70-year-old scientist and his wife against alleged harassments by their daughters and sons-in-law.

A Lucknow bench of the high court gave the direction to the district administration on a plea by retired scientist Krishna Pal Singh and his wife alleging harassment by their two daughters and their husbands.

While issuing direction for the protection of the elderly couple, a bench of justices Pankaj Mithal and Saurabh Lavania also asked the state government what actions it has taken on a 2017 order of the high court for setting up tribunals under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.

Recalling the high court’s 2017 order, the bench pointed out that the government had been given three months to issue notification for establishment of tribunals and an appellate tribunal under the Act.

The high court had also asked the government to designate maintenance officer, establish old age homes, constitute district committee of seniors citizens and take appropriate measures to give wide publicity in media to sensitize people, police officials and government employees about the rights and needs of the security and safety of senior citizens.

The Lucknow bench, accordingly, asked the government to apprise it of the various steps taken by it in compliance with the high court's 2017 order within six weeks.

The retired scientist and his wife had alleged in their petition that their two daughters and sons-in-law have been keeping them under constant threat of grabbing their home, located near Purania railway crossing in Aliganj area, by eliminating them.

The couple said in their petition that their daughters and sons-in-law have also locked many of the rooms of their house and kept there a stranger woman, visited by several persons unknown to them and keeping them under the constant threat of danger to their lives.

The couple said they had earlier also lodged a complaint with the Aliganj police and even with the district magistrate but they took no action.

While directing the Lucknow DM to ensure safety and security of the couple, the high court bench also asked his compliance report on the matter within six weeks.

Image credits: PTI