The fight has just begun for 68-year-old Hirani Barman. Thrown out of her house by her son, she has now moved a Kolkata court demanding maintenance. Hirani’s husband passed away in 2005 — after which she was confined to a single room. "My son and his family used to occupy the rest of the house. My daughter-in-law tortured me and didn’t let me talk to my grandson. When I complained to my son, he abused and threatened me," she recounts.
On December 24 last year, Hirani finally mustered the courage to lodge a complaint at the local police station. But the police took no action. Worse was to follow: her son threw her out of her own house, and she was forced to take shelter in an ashram near her house. Recently, she filed a petition under Sec 125 CrPc (maintenance) in a Kolkata court. The court has admitted the petition and has issued a summons against her son.
Justice is, hopefully, around the corner.
In yet another case in the city, 90-year-old Usha Rani Dutta moved the High Court against her children, accusing them of ousting her from her house. After her husband died in 1985, her sons and daughters-in-law started saying that she had become a burden on them.
In April 2003, Usha Rani had filed a petition with the Lok Adalat, which ordered her sons to pay her Rs 500 a month. But they did not pay her a penny. "They never treated me properly. They also used abusive language," she said in her petition.
{{/usCountry}}In April 2003, Usha Rani had filed a petition with the Lok Adalat, which ordered her sons to pay her Rs 500 a month. But they did not pay her a penny. "They never treated me properly. They also used abusive language," she said in her petition.
{{/usCountry}}"Due to my old age, I suffer from various ailments," she added. Earlier this week, the court ruled that she has every right to live with her sons, and directed the local police station to give her protection.