Widow entitled for maintenance from father-in-law after husband's death: Allahabad High Court
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has held that a husband’s legal obligation to maintain his wife does not cease with his death. The court further held that a widow may seek maintenance from her deceased husband’s estate and, where necessary, from her father-in-law.
The observation was made by a division bench of Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice Satya Veer Singh while dismissing an appeal filed by Akul Rastogi challenging an order of the Rampur Family Court, as reported by NDTV.
Rastogi had approached the High Court through a first appeal petition after the family court, by its order dated February 6, rejected his application seeking permission to initiate perjury proceedings against his wife. He alleged that she had made false statements while claiming maintenance.
Counsel for the appellant argued that the wife had suppressed material facts, which included her alleged employment status and financial assets. It was contended that she described herself as a housewife and claimed to have fixed deposits exceeding ₹20 lakh with Bank of Baroda and HDFC Bank. Upon being questioned, she stated that the deposits had been made in her name by her father, though only about ₹4 lakh remained after withdrawals.
The bench held that no material had been produced to substantiate the allegation of perjury. It observed that suppression of information cannot automatically be treated as giving false evidence in the absence of proof.
The Court further noted that the fixed deposits were created by the woman’s father, who bears no legal responsibility to maintain her after marriage. The Court observed that financial assistance was necessary for her sustenance, with only a limited sum remaining in the deposits.
Upholding the family court’s order, the High Court directed the appellant to continue paying maintenance. It reaffirmed that a husband is duty-bound to maintain his wife when she seeks such relief under applicable criminal law provisions or personal law which also include Hindu law.
The bench clarified that the obligation does not end upon the husband’s death, and in appropriate circumstances, the widow may claim maintenance from the estate of the deceased husband or from her father-in-law in accordance with law.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
