Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
A 65-year-old woman, rendered homeless despite owning her own house, has finally regained her home after three years, following an order from the sub-divisional magistrate and Chairperson of the Senior Citizens Welfare Tribunal Venkatesh Rathod, under the Parents and Senior Citizens Maintenance and Welfare Act, 2007.
In 2004, Bhagabai (name changed) purchased a 600 sq. ft. plot near Rahulnagar on Railway Station Road for Rs 75,000 from her brother and built a small two-room house, dreaming of spending her old age in safety. However, her son Pankaj (name changed) and daughter-in-law Ruchika (name changed) made her life a nightmare. Initially, there were verbal abuses and arguments, which escalated into physical harassment. In 2020, they inflicted serious injuries, including biting her ear, for which a case was registered at Satara Police Station. Further criminal complaints followed in 2023, but the harassment continued. Despite the property being in her name, her son and daughter-in-law fabricated a false agreement claiming ownership and forced her out. For three years, Bhagabai had to depend on her brother, sister, or others’ charity. Her husband, who remarried, had abandoned her, and now even her son had forsaken her. Health issues like diabetes and blood pressure made it impossible for her to work. She filed a petition under the senior citizens welfare act, 2007, with support from the District Legal Services Authority through advocates D.V. More/Meshram. During the hearing, her son and daughter-in-law neither appeared nor acknowledged the court notice, leading to a one-sided ruling in her favor, restoring her forcibly taken home.