Jharkhand High Court has given a verdict in a family case, stating that it is the duty of a daughter-in-law to serve her elderly mother-in-law. She cannot ask her husband to separate from his mother. In the case of Rudra Narayan Ray vs Piyali Ray Chatterjee, the court referred to ancient scriptures as well while delivering the judgment.
During the hearing, Justice Subhash Chand said that it is mandatory for a wife to serve her husband’s mother and grandmother, and she should not insist on staying away from them. The court referred to Article 51A of the Indian Constitution, which defines the fundamental duties of a citizen, stating that serving the elderly mother-in-law or grandmother-in-law is a part of Indian culture.
Therefore, the court concluded that a woman should not put pressure on her husband to leave his mother. In its decision, the court also used Hindu religious scriptures, including Manu Smriti, to emphasize the importance of women in the family.
The High Court overturned the decision of the lower court in Dumka, which ordered the husband to pay ₹30,000 for the maintenance of his separated wife and ₹15,000 for their minor son. The woman had accused her husband and in-laws of cruelty and harassment for dowry. On the other hand, the husband claimed that his wife used to pressurize him to separate from his mother and grandmother without any reason.
The court referred to the evidence on record, which indicated that the wife was pressuring her husband to stay away from his mother and grandmother. Justice Chand also mentioned the book “Introduction to Family Life Education” written by Professor Teresa Chaco. The court stated that the issue between the husband and wife was that the wife did not want to serve her elderly mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law. The court said, “If the wife wants to stay separate without any reason, the maintenance allowance can be denied.” The court also referred to Section 125(4) of the Criminal Procedure Code and issued an order.
The court dismissed the order of the family court to the extent that it allowed the wife to receive ₹30,000 as maintenance allowance. The High Court increased the maintenance allowance for the son from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000. The husband was represented by advocates Indrajit Sinha and Akhouri Avinash Kumar, while the wife was represented by advocate Rahul Kumar.
झारखंड हाई कोर्ट ने एक पारिवारिक मामले में फैसला सुनाया है, जिसमें उसने कहा है कि बूढ़ी सास की सेवा करना बहू का कर्तव्य है। अदालत ने इसके लिए पौराणिक ग्रंथों का भी हवाला दिया है। इस फैसले के बाद अदालत ने यह माना है कि पत्नी अपने पति को अपनी मां से अलग रहने के लिए नहीं कह सकती है। अदालत ने परिवार में महिलाओं के महत्व पर जोर देने के लिए मनुस्मृति सहित हिंदू धार्मिक ग्रंथों का भी इस्तेमाल किया है। इस मामले में एक महिला ने अपने पति और ससुराल वालों पर क्रूरता का आरोप लगाया था, जबकि पति का आरोप था कि पत्नी उसे उसकी मां और दादी से अलग रहने के लिए दबाव डालती थी। अदालत ने इस मामले में और पति-पत्नी के बीच के मामलों में महिलाओं के महत्व को बढ़ावा दिया है।
