Torture, abuse, confinement by daughter and "forceful" detention in an old age home is the unfortunate story of a 76-year-old woman who has now been set free with a Delhi court's intervention.
After being rescued in February this year by the police from the clutches of her daughter, who is in mid-30s, the woman was sent to an old age home in East Delhi without her consent.
The ordeal of the woman reached the court when her elder sister filed an application seeking direction that the helpless senior citizen be set free forthwith.
She told the court that initially she approached the old age home 'Nai Duniya' run by an NGO 'Helping Brainz' to release the woman but its manager flatly refused.
When she approached SHO of Amar Colony Police Station in South Delhi to intervene, he asked her to file an application regarding this in the court.
The issue came up before Metropolitan Magistrate Manisha Khurana Kakkar, and the woman was produced in the court on June 7. The victim expressed her willingness to reside with her sister, a doctor.
The magistrate asked few questions to the woman about her residence and relatives and found that she was giving satisfactory answers and appeared to be in a fit state of mind.
The court said she is at liberty to go with her elder sister as she is an adult and a free citizen.
The magistrate also directed the SHO to take care of senior citizens in such matters in future.
"Manager, Old Age Home, has also been apprised of the fact that he cannot retain any old person in the old age home once such a senior citizen has expressed his/ her willingness to leave the same.
"The applicant (sister) has also expressed her willingness to take her sister to her house. She is at liberty to do so," the court said in its June 7 order.
The victim had told her sister that she was rescued by the police after being informed about it by a passerby.
The woman had said the rescue was the outcome of gross negligence, abused and torture inflicted allegedly by her daughter, with whom she was residing in Dayanand Colony in Lajpat Nagar.
As per the victim, her daughter had confined her at the house for six months and was not allowing her to go out or have food. An FIR was lodged against the daughter.
The court was informed by the woman's sister that when she had gone to meet her in the old age home, she was found to be in a pathetic condition and had been forcibly kept there against her wishes.
The elder sister said she had sufficient means to take care of her sister and desirous of keeping her at her residence here.
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