NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 7, 2007: People who abandon parents or neglect their basic needs or otherwise maltreat them in their twilight years will have to face three months of imprisonment and a penalty of up to US$131. The provision is now enshrined in the new legislation passed by Parliament into law on Thursday. The law — Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill, 2007 — also talks about setting up an appropriate mechanism to provide need-based maintenance to parents and senior citizens once they attain the age of 60.
Though the parents can claim maintenance under the existing law — Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 — the procedure is both time consuming and expensive. The new legislation, on the other hand, has made simple, inexpensive and speedy provisions for claiming “maintenance” which includes food, clothing, residence and medical attendance and treatment. The bill, passed in Lok Sabha, provides for setting up of a tribunal in each district for helping the old in distress.