Smt Krishna Devi Vs State (Gnctd) and Ors. — Delhi HC (2025) — LawSathi Research

Smt Krishna Devi Vs State (Gnctd) and Ors. — Delhi HC (2025) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Petition disposed of with the statement of respondent no.1/DM (on instructions) taken on record — the petitioner's pending complaint under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act, 2007 to be duly considered and adjudicated as expeditiously as possible and in any event within 3 months — such adjudication remaining subject to the further legal rights and remedies of the parties.

Issue for consideration

Whether respondent no.1, i.e. the District Magistrate (DM), New Delhi — seized of the petitioner's complaint under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act, 2007 — should be directed to decide the said complaint in a time-bound manner.

Court's answer

The court endorsed the petitioner's emphasis that there is grave urgency in the matter, considering the grievances of the senior citizen and the allegations of ill treatment and harassment, underscoring the need for prompt adjudication of the pending complaint.

Ratio / Principle

On instructions, learned counsel for respondent no.1/DM stated that the petitioner's pending complaint would be duly considered and adjudicated as expeditiously as possible and in any event within a period of 3 months; the court took the said statement on record and disposed of the petition on that basis.

Key takeaways

The adjudication of the complaint by the DM pursuant to the recorded undertaking shall be subject to the further legal rights and remedies of the parties.ratio¶17

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

High Court of Delhi (Sachin Datta, J.; order dated 11.08.2025) in W.P.(C) 11457/2025 — Smt Krishna Devi v. State (GNCTD) and Ors. The petitioner sought a direction to respondent no.1, the District Magistrate (DM), New Delhi — seized of her complaint filed under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act, 2007 — to decide the complaint in a time-bound manner. Her eviction petition had earlier been dismissed vide order dated 08.11.2021, and in appellate proceedings vide order dated 20.06.2023 the matter stood remanded to the DM for fresh consideration. Noting the impugned order's direction to the DM to conduct a proper and fair inquiry into the ill treatment and harassment of the petitioner (senior citizen), and recognising the grave urgency arising from the grievances of the senior citizen, the court recorded respondent no.1's on-instructions undertaking that the pending complaint would be duly considered and adjudicated as expeditiously as possible and in any event within 3 months. On that basis the petition was disposed of, with the clarification that the DM's adjudication shall remain subject to the further legal rights and remedies of the parties.

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

- W.P.(C) 11457/2025

SMT KRISHNA DEVI .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Surit Jidani, Advocate.

versus

STATE (GNCTD) AND ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Dhruv Rohatgi, Ms.Chandrika Sachdeva and Mr. Dhruv Kumar, Advocates for R1.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN DATTA O R D E R % 11.08.2025

By way of the present petition, it is sought that the respondent no.1 i.e. District Magistrate (DM), New Delhi who is seized of the complaint under Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act, 2007 filed by the petitioner herein, be directed to decide the said complaint in a time bound manner.

It is pointed out that initially, vide order dated 08.11.2021, the petitioner’s eviction petition came to be dismissed, however, in appellate proceedings, vide order dated 20.06.2023, the matter was remanded to the DM for fresh consideration.

It is notable that the impugned order takes note of the peculiar circumstances afflicting the petitioner and directs the DM to conduct a proper and fair inquiry with respect to the ill treatment and harassment of the petitioner (senior citizen). The petitioner is right in emphasising that there is a grave urgency in the matter, considering the grievances of the senior

This is a digitally signed order.

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 18/08/2025 at 14:01:37

citizen/s and allegations of ill treatment and harassment.

Learned counsel for the respondent no.1/DM submits, on instructions, that the petitioner’s pending complaint would be duly considered and adjudicated as expeditiously as possible and in any event, within a period of 3 months from today. The said statement is taken on record.

The present petition is disposed of in the above terms.

Needless to say, the adjudication by the DM shall be subject to further legal rights and remedies of the parties.

SACHIN DATTA, J

AUGUST 11, 2025/ at

This is a digitally signed order.

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 18/08/2025 at 14:01:37