Tribunals can restore property to elderly: HC

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 6

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has restored the powers of eviction to maintenance tribunals set up under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act.

In a departure from an earlier judgment that took away eviction powers from district magistrates, Justice Arun Monga ruled the tribunals under the Act had jurisdiction to entertain a senior citizen’s complaint and enforce his rights for protection of life and “property” against transgression by his children and relatives.

The ruling, liable to reduce a senior citizen’s travel time to justice, came on a widow’s petition against additional deputy commissioner-cum-maintenance tribunal’s order, asking her to vacate matrimonial home on her 82-year-old father-in-law’s complaint.

Her counsel argued the impugned order was not sustainable as the tribunal did not have power to pass ejectment/eviction order because it was meant only for providing maintenance to senior citizen. inside