Latest news with #RidgewoodEstateCondominiumAssociation
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Human rights panel steps in after elderly Gurugram couple found living in neglect
The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of the alarming condition of a 96-year-old man and his 86-year-old wife, who were allegedly neglected by their son, Rajesh Mitra. The couple has reportedly been left to fend for themselves in their home at Ridgewood Estate, DLF City Phase IV, Gurugram, under the care of two untrained female attendants and without any meaningful medical supervision. Acting on a complaint filed by residents and representatives of the Ridgewood Estate Condominium Association, the commission noted that the couple had been living in a state of grave neglect. Residents reported hearing the elderly man frequently cry out in pain, causing emotional distress not only to his wife but also to other senior citizens living nearby. In response, HHRC chairperson Justice Lalit Batra directed the Gurugram deputy commissioner to form a multi-disciplinary team. This team is to include the Gurugram police commissioner, sub-divisional magistrate, civil surgeon, and district social officer. The team has been tasked with visiting the couple's residence to conduct a comprehensive medical, psychological, and social assessment of their condition. The findings must be submitted to the commission before the next hearing on July 3. The commission's order noted that despite multiple appeals made to the son and local authorities, no substantial action had been taken, necessitating the commission's intervention. Justice Batra expressed grave concern over the prolonged physical and mental suffering endured by the elderly couple. He underscored that such neglect amounts to a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to live with dignity. He emphasised that this issue should not be dismissed as a private family matter but recognised as a serious public human rights concern, especially when society and the state fail to protect vulnerable citizens. Justice Batra also referenced the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, particularly Section 20, which obligates the state to ensure adequate healthcare services for senior citizens—such as reserved hospital beds, separate queues, and subsidised treatment. 'If the neglect is found to be intentional, criminal liability under Section 24 of the Act may be invoked against the responsible individual,' Justice Batra added.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Haryana rights panel asks Gurugram district administration to check on ‘neglected' elderly couple
Chandigarh: The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken note of a 96-year-old man and his 86-year-old wife being allegedly abandoned and neglected by their son, Rajesh Mitra, in DLF City, Phase IV, Gurugram. Acting on a complaint submitted by residents and representatives of Ridgewood Estate Condominium Association, the commission has issued directions to the Gurugram district administration and health authorities to conduct a medical, psychological, and social assessment of the elderly couple. The complaint alleges that the senior citizens were left in a state of grave neglect, relying solely on two female attendants, without proper medical supervision. The elderly man is often heard crying out in pain, causing severe emotional trauma not just to his wife but also to other senior residents in the vicinity. Despite repeated appeals to the son and local authorities, no effective action was taken, prompting the intervention of the commission. HHRC chairperson Justice Lalit Batra (retd) expressed concern over the prolonged mental and physical suffering endured by the couple, calling it a blatant violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental right to live with dignity. He emphasized that such situations are not "private family matters", but public human rights concerns, especially when society and the state fail in their shared responsibility to protect vulnerable citizens. Justice Batra highlighted provisions under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, particularly Section 20, which obligates the state to provide adequate healthcare services to senior citizens, including reserved hospital beds, separate queues, and subsidised treatment. If intentional abandonment is established, the commission noted, criminal liability under Section 24 of the 2007 law may be invoked against the responsible party. The commission also directed the deputy commissioner, Gurugram, to constitute a multi-disciplinary medical and welfare committee, comprising the commissioner of police, local sub-divisional magistrate, civil surgeon, and the district social welfare officer (also designated as maintenance officer under Section 20 of the 2007 law). This team is instructed to visit the residence and conduct a comprehensive assessment of the couple's physical, emotional, and social condition, said the commission, which has sought a status report and long-term action plan for the couple's treatment, care, and rehabilitation before the next hearing on July 3. MSID:: 121536856 413 |
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Elderly couple ‘abandoned' in their Gurgaon flat for 3 years, community steps in
Gurgaon: Behind the closed doors of an apartment at Ridgewood Estate, the muffled cries of a nonagenarian man and his octogenarian wife have stirred neighbours into action, making it a rare case of a community seeking the state's intervention to guarantee care, safety and dignity for the allegedly abandoned couple. Left in the care of two untrained attendants by their son who is abroad, residents of the society, also members of Ridgewood Estate Condominium Association (RECA), said they repeatedly tried to contact the son, but their appeals fell on deaf ears. The association then approached Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC), which took cognisance immediately and ordered a comprehensive medical, psychological, and social assessment of the couple by govt. The couple has been living here for three years, when the son purchased the flat and moved them, transferring power of attorney to his father, according to RECA. However, two caregivers working in day and night shifts became the couple's only connection with the outside world soon after. Concerned neighbours visited, making inquiries and offering assistance, but were turned away at the door. Residents said the son regularly made online payments for maintenance charges for the flat, but the association had no information about his whereabouts except his phone number and email ID in the society's records. None recollected having seen him in the compound either. "All we know is that he lives somewhere abroad. Earlier, a lady would visit the elderly couple, but she stopped coming a few months ago. We requested the son to visit his parents or arrange some help for them, but to no avail. The woman is bedridden, and the man's cries of distress echo in the corridor. It's deeply distressing," said Kittu Mathur, the association secretary. Mathur said they had no information about the couple, not even their names. The couple have never attended any society event. Last month, an elderly neighbour ventured in seeing the door ajar and discovered the house to be in a complete mess, according to RECA members. A few days later, the son allegedly responded with a threat to lodge a police complaint against the neighbour for trespass. Lalit Batra, the HHRC chairperson, expressed deep concern over the couple's prolonged mental and physical suffering, calling it a blatant violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to live with dignity. The rights panel emphasised that such situations were not merely "private family matters" but public human rights concerns. "Failure to ensure essential medical care, emotional support, and regular supervision reflects gross negligence. It amounts to a breach of not only the basic human rights of the senior citizens themselves but also of the larger community that has been involuntarily subjected to such trauma," the rights panel observed. Describing the situation as "alarmingly tragic", HHRC noted that the elderly should receive full family support, especially when they require love, care, and medical intervention the most. "Society and the state have a shared responsibility to intervene when the elderly are deprived of due care and dignity," the commission said. Batra ordered immediate intervention in the case, asking the deputy commissioner to form a multi-disciplinary medical and welfare committee. This team, comprising the police commissioner, sub-divisional magistrate, civil surgeon, and district social welfare officer, must now assess the couple's condition and submit a comprehensive care plan before the next hearing on July 3. Puneet Arora, the commission's protocol officer, assured strict compliance by all authorities.
