📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Satdeep Gill
National
High Court rules Senior Citizens Act cannot evict estranged daughter-in-law
✍️ livelaw.in
🗓 09 Sep 2026, 11:35 AM
👁 16
The Punjab and Haryana High Court held that the Senior Citizens Act cannot be invoked to remove an estranged daughter‑in‑law from a jointly owned household.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court delivered a judgment clarifying that the Senior Citizens (Maintenance and Welfare) Act cannot be employed as a tool to evict an estranged daughter‑in‑law from a shared residence. The bench examined a petition filed by senior family members seeking to remove the daughter‑in‑law on the grounds of estrangement and alleged misuse of the household.
The court observed that the Act is intended to safeguard the welfare and maintenance of senior citizens, not to settle intra‑family property disputes or enforce eviction. It emphasized that eviction matters must be addressed under appropriate property or tenancy laws, and that the Senior Citizens Act does not confer a right to dispossess co‑habitants.
Legal counsel for the petitioners was advised to pursue remedies under the Indian Contract Act and relevant property statutes if they wish to claim exclusive possession. The ruling underscores the narrow scope of senior‑citizen legislation and cautions against its misapplication in family‑law conflicts.
The court observed that the Act is intended to safeguard the welfare and maintenance of senior citizens, not to settle intra‑family property disputes or enforce eviction. It emphasized that eviction matters must be addressed under appropriate property or tenancy laws, and that the Senior Citizens Act does not confer a right to dispossess co‑habitants.
Legal counsel for the petitioners was advised to pursue remedies under the Indian Contract Act and relevant property statutes if they wish to claim exclusive possession. The ruling underscores the narrow scope of senior‑citizen legislation and cautions against its misapplication in family‑law conflicts.