HC to the rescue of a senior citizen

Reminding that neglect of parents is punishable under law, the Madras High Court has asked two sons of an octogenarian man to give him Rs 400 each, ordered to be awarded by a lower court, though it is a meagre amount.
A Magistrate Court had in 2008 directed the sons to pay Rs 400 each as maintenance to their father, against which they appealed to a session's court, which upheld the order.
The two sons, both ex-servicemen, then filed an appeal in the High Court against the orders of the lower court.
Justice S Vaidyanathan in a recent order directed them to pay the amount along with all pending arrears within a month to their 86-year-old father.

C Chinnappa and his wife Lakshmi had in 2004 moved a magistrate court in Vellore district seeking maintenance from his two younger sons C Shanmugam and C Mani.
The aged couple were living with their eldest son's family.

The senior citizen couplehad a total of 2.4 acres of land and they gave two acres to their sons and retained 40 cents for own use.
During the pendency of proceedings, Lakshmi died.
The sons argued that their father had his own source of income from the land he possessed.
The Judge, while rejecting the argument, said the maintenance awarded itself was meagre and they should to pay the amount.

Justice Vaidyanathan said that it was keeping in mind the neglect such senior citizens are subjected to at the hands of their own children that Parliament had enacted the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
The Act which received the assent of the President on December 29, 2007 provides for the maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens, he said.