A Tribunal in every sub-division and a ceiling of ten thousand rupees a month for a parent's upkeep

Background

The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act of 2007 lets a parent or senior citizen who cannot support himself claim a monthly allowance from his children, or, if he is childless, from a relative who holds or would inherit his property. A senior citizen is an Indian citizen who has turned sixty, and the word children covers a son, a daughter, a grandson and a grand-daughter but never a minor. The State Government constitutes a Maintenance Tribunal for each sub-division, and an officer not below the rank of Sub-Divisional Officer presides over it. A claim is to be settled within ninety days of the notice being served, a limit the Tribunal can stretch once by up to thirty days, in exceptional circumstances and for reasons put in writing. How much can be ordered is for the State Government to prescribe, but the Act caps it at ten thousand rupees a month, and simple interest of between five and eighteen per cent can be added. Before it hears a claim the Tribunal can send the matter to a Conciliation Officer, who reports back within one month. An appeal lies to an Appellate Tribunal for each district, headed by an officer not below the rank of District Magistrate, and the text of the Act gives the senior citizen or parent sixty days to file it. The Allahabad High Court, following its own earlier ruling, has held that children aggrieved by an eviction order under the Act can also appeal under that same provision.