The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 is an Indian law enacted to provide financial support, protection, and welfare for elderly citizens and parents who may be neglected or mistreated by their children or relatives. Key features of the Act include:
1. Maintenance for Parents and Senior Citizens:
The Act mandates that children or heirs must provide basic maintenance (financial support and essential needs) for their parents or senior citizens if they cannot sustain themselves. Parents can file a petition in a Maintenance Tribunal for financial support.
2. Tribunals for Quick Redressal:
The Act establishes Maintenance Tribunals at the district level to handle cases and ensure a speedy resolution. These tribunals can order children to provide maintenance of up to Rs. 10,000 per month. Cases are to be resolved within 90 days.
3. Abandonment as a Punishable Offense:
Abandoning a senior citizen or parent, or neglecting to provide for them, is an offense under the Act. Offenders can face fines or imprisonment for up to three months.
4. Protection of Life and Property:
The Act includes provisions to protect the property rights of senior citizens, ensuring they cannot be forcibly dispossessed of their property by relatives. It also allows for property given to relatives or children to be reclaimed by the senior if they are mistreated or abandoned.
5. Establishment of Old Age Homes:
The Act obligates state governments to set up old age homes for indigent senior citizens in every district, providing shelter, food, and medical care.
6. Healthcare Provision:
The Act encourages state governments to ensure affordable healthcare services and medical facilities for senior citizens.
The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 reflects a step towards social responsibility by legally reinforcing family obligations to elderly parents, protecting them from abuse, neglect, and abandonment, and providing them with the dignity and support they deserve.