Police to come to the rescue of abandoned elders

In what can come as a huge relief to the elderly who are deserted by their families, Delhi Police has decided that it will register a case if a senior citizen is found abandoned on the streets and investigate whether he or she was deliberately deserted by their kin.
An order in this regard, was issued recently to all SHOs in the national capital asking them to ensure that an FIR is registered whenever such a case comes up and proper investigation is done.
"If the person who is found abandoned is not in a position to reveal his or her address, police will treat the case very much in the same way as it is done in case of missing children," said a senior police official.

Case will be registered under under Section 24 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act.
Under the Act, whoever, having the care or protection of senior citizen leaves, such senior citizen in any place with the intention of wholly abandoning them, shall be punishable with imprisonment upto three months or fine which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both.
The investigating officer will also have to inform the maintenance tribunal and other authorities constituted under the Act.

According to highly placed sources in the police headquarters, an order in this regard was recently issued to all district DCPs and Additional Police Commissioners asking them to ensure that the order is complied with.

As per the Act, if children or relatives, as the case may be, neglect or refuse to maintain a senior citizen being unable to maintain himself, the Tribunal may, on being satisfied of such neglect or refusal, order such children or relatives to make a monthly allowance at such monthly rate for the maintenance of such senior citizen, as the Tribunal may deem fit and to pay the same to such senior citizen as the Tribunal may, from time to time, direct.
However, the maximum maintenance could not exceed ten thousand rupees per month.