COIMBATORE: A court in Valparai has ordered a woman to pay Rs 20,000 per month maintenance to her mother, who is suffering from extreme poverty, sending a clear message to other children not to leave their parents behind as they grow older.
While pronouncing the order, Justice Senthil Kumar observed that a daughter has to pay maintenance even if the mother is struggling to make ends meet.
According to the prosecution, 52-year-old Aarayi's husband Ponnusamy, who was employed as a sanitation worker in Valparai township, died of cardiac arrest at work on December 28, 2013. The couple has three daughters: Kavitha (35), Manju (33) and Gowri (31).
After Ponnusamy's death, Gowri, out of compassion, got the job of a junior assistant in the Attur municipality office in Salem eight years ago. Since taking office, she has rejected her mother and two sisters' desperate pleas for financial help.
Therefore, on November 18, 2022, Aarayi approached the Valparai District Court to seek maintenance. He emphasized that a daughter was also obliged to pay maintenance because she did not have a son as a legal heir and also instead of her youngest daughter's son, she was entitled to an appropriate salary in a government job. Her other two daughters were not financially stable.
Hearing the case, Justice Senthil Kumar ordered Gowri to pay Rs 20,000 and Rs 3.2 lakh every month since November 18, 2022, pending the arrears, in addition to Rs 15,000 towards court costs to her mother.
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