Kerala HC slams man for denying maintenance to 100-year-old mother
Justice P V Kunhikrishnan also slammed the 57-year-old son, saying that if he fails to take care of his mother, he should be 'ashamed of himself".
'It is the duty of every son to look after his mother. It is not a charity," the court said and dismissed the man's appeal against the family court order of April 2022.
The High Court noted that the man challenged the April 2022 order of the family court after a delay of 1,149 days, in 2025, after recovery proceedings were initiated against him for not paying the maintenance amount.
'At the time of filing the petition (in the family court), the mother of the petitioner was 92, and now she is aged 100 and waiting for the maintenance from her son! I am forced to say that, I feel deeply ashamed, being a member of this society, where a son is fighting with his mother, aged 100, merely to deny her a monthly maintenance of Rs 2,000," Justice Kunhikrishnan said.
The son had opposed the plea moved by his mother in the family court, seeking Rs 5,000 as monthly maintenance from him, claiming that she did not require such an amount and that he would take care of her if she stayed with him.
He had also claimed that his mother had other children who were not taking care of her and the plea in the family court was filed at the insistence of his elder brother, with whom she was currently living.
The High Court said it was 'sad" to see that the son was not ready to take care of his mother and was fighting in court to deny maintenance to her by raising different contentions.
It said that the petitioner ought to have avoided the situation in which his mother had to move a court to seek maintenance.
It further said it was the petitioner's duty to look after his mother, and if he was not doing so, he was 'not a human being".
'A son is indebted to his parents in so many ways, and it is the duty of the son to serve his parents. A mother is her son's home base. Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life, and gets a new home, he is still her son. No matter your age, you will always need your mother.
'Despite the profound bond between a mother and her son, when the son gets married and starts his own family, he often forgets that his mother still needs him in her life. It takes so little effort to call our mothers, yet we often forget that just hearing our voice can make their day," the High Court said.
It further pointed out that when the parents grow old, their tastes, attitudes and temperaments may differ.
'There will be childish habits in all people when they become old. We should remember that when we were children, our mother showed patience with us, even when we became impatient or upset over simple matters.
'In the same way, when they become old, we should be patient with them. Old people may show childish stubbornness, and therefore it is the duty of the children to calm them down with understanding and patience. The success of the children depends on that," it said. PTI HMP HMP ADB
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August 01, 2025, 18:15 IST
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