Allahabad HC relief for elderly couple confined by son

PRAYAGRAJ: Allahabad high court has come to the rescue of an elderly couple allegedly confined to a room by their son and daughter-in-law in their house in Prayagraj for many years, with limited access to sanitation and food, reports Rajesh Kumar Pandey.

HC has constituted a committee comprising DM, police commissioner and chief medical officer and directed them to inspect the couple's residence and ensure their safety.

It also ordered the deployment of police at their residence if needed. “The committee shall ensure that the petitioners have adequate access to the various portions/rooms of their property to ensure their safety and peaceful existence during pendency of this writ petition,” a bench of Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Donadi Ramesh ordered on Wednesday.

HC asked the panel to corroborate the charges from the couple’s neighbours and fixed the next date of hearing for Friday. It also directed CMO to get the couple’s medical checkup done and ensure medical help to them over phone or such other means whenever required. The court also made an exception in entertaining the plea, reasoning that the usual time-consuming practice requiring the petitioners to first approach DM and then court would not have served the interest of justice.