Law reaches out to help septuagenarian

New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) Septuagenarian Prem Kumari Jain is very ill with painful sores scarring her body. Abandoned by three of her four sons 15 years ago, she has now got help from the Delhi High Court that has issued notice to her children and directed the Delhi government to provide her with medical facilities.

Prem Kumari, 75, had filed a petition in the court through her youngest son Kuldeep Jain, who she lives with, seeking direction to her three other sons for sharing the costs and also to the government to help out, under the Maintenance and Welfare of Senior Citizens Act notified last year.

The court, after hearing Prem Kumari's plea, earlier this week issued notice to the Delhi government and her three sons and asked the government to provide proper medical aid and other facilities to her and file a detailed report by May 5, the next date of hearing.

Prem Kumari stays in east Delhi's Shahdra with Kuldeep, who is in his late 40s and is a teacher in a government school.

Kuldeep has been taking care of his mother for the past 15 years but has now expressed his inability saying his house is small and his responsibilities towards his family have also increased over the years.

He filed the petition through his counsel Namita Roy, who asked for directions to the three brothers Vinod, Rajesh and Praveen, who are also teachers.

The petition also highlighted the fact that under the Maintenance and Welfare of Senior Citizens Act there is a provision that the government will take care of such abandoned senior citizens and the police can also take action against those who dump their parents.

'Section 24 and 25 of the Senior Citizens Act states that the government will take full care of the stay and medical facilities and other necessary requirements, but has failed to comply with any of these since its notification,' argued Namita Roy before Justice Ravindra Bhat.

She also told the court that the construction of an old age home is still hanging fire between different government departments and asked the court for immediate relief for the 75-year-old.

(Kanu Sarda can be contacted at kanu.s@ians.in)