Allahabad High Court has ruled that there is no legal obligation on the daughter-in-law to take care of her in-laws. Under Section 125 of CrPC, mother-in-law and father-in-law cannot demand maintenance from their daughter-in-law. The court said that this may be a moral duty, but it is not legally applicable.
Prayagraj: Allahabad High Court has said in a major decision that there is no legal obligation on the daughter-in-law to take care of her in-laws. The bench of Justice Madan Pal Singh made it clear that mother-in-law cannot demand maintenance from her daughter-in-law under the ‘Indian Civil Protection Code’. The court made this comment on a petition by Rakesh Kumar and his wife, in which they had demanded action against their daughter-in-law. The court said, ‘Taking care of in-laws may be a moral duty, but it cannot be legally enforced.’ The bench also said that it is not the purpose of the law to impose such responsibility on the daughter-in-law.
The court explained that under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), it is the responsibility of children to take care of their parents, but this definition does not include in-laws. According to the court, the word ‘parents’ means only the real parents. Even if a woman works, she is not legally bound to maintain her husband’s parents with her earnings. Even if the daughter-in-law is working after the death of her husband, she is not responsible to give her share of her income to her in-laws.
The decision of the family court was challenged
Rakesh Kumar and his wife had approached the Allahabad High Court against the decision of the Family Court of Agra. His daughter-in-law is a constable in Uttar Pradesh Police. The mother-in-law and father-in-law had said in their application that they were old, illiterate and poor. After the death of their only son, there is no one to take care of them. He also argued that the daughter-in-law has received all the benefits received after the death of her son and she also has her own earnings. However, the High Court rejected these arguments. The court also said that there is no record to prove that the daughter-in-law got this job on compassionate grounds after the death of her husband. The mother-in-law and father-in-law had appealed in the High Court against the decision given by the Family Court in favor of the daughter-in-law in August 2025.