The Telangana High Court has quashed maintenance proceedings under Section 125 CrPC against a 69-year-old mother-in-law, holding that the provision creates no liability on a mother-in-law to maintain her widowed daughter-in-law or the children of her deceased son, while noting that other remedies remain open.
The Allahabad High Court ruled that a widowed daughter-in-law is not obligated to reside in her matrimonial home to claim maintenance from her father-in-law under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956. The court emphasized societal and cultural norms influencing a widow’s choice of residence and recognized the right to claim maintenance regardless of living arrangements.