Kailash Saini Vs Smt. Chhota Devi W/O Late Shri Kaluram Saini — Rajasthan HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

Kailash Saini Vs Smt. Chhota Devi W/O Late Shri Kaluram Saini — Rajasthan HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Writ petition allowed. The order dated 11-052026 of the learned District Collector and District Magistrate, Jaipur (dismissing the petitioners' Appeal No. 14/2026 under Section 16 of the 2007 Act as not maintainable) is quashed. The appeal (Senior Citizen Appeal, Kailash Saini v. Smt. Chhota Devi & others) is to be taken back on file, treated as maintainable, and decided on merits after hearing both parties. Stay and miscellaneous applications, if any, stand disposed of accordingly.

Issue for consideration

Whether an appeal under Section 16 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 lies at the instance of aggrieved children and relatives (here, the son and daughter-in-law of the senior citizen) against an order passed under Section 5 of the Act â€” i.e., whether the petitioners' appeal before the District Collector/District Magistrate, Jaipur was maintainable despite dismissal on the ground that Section 16 permits appeals only by senior citizens and parents.

Court's answer

Proceeding on the position already settled by the coordinate Single Bench of this Court in Civil Writ Petition No. 11941/2021 (paras 23-24, quoted supra), this Court records that a child aggrieved by an order passed under Section 5 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 has the right to prefer an appeal under Section 16 of the Act, and such an appeal is to be treated as maintainable; accordingly the appeal filed by the petitioners (son and daughter-in-law of the respondent) was maintainable and the ground on which it was dismissed fails.

Ratio / Principle

The writ petition is allowed and the order dated 11-052026 passed by the learned District Collector and District Magistrate, Jaipur is quashed/set aside.

Key takeaways

The petitioners' Appeal No. 14/2026 ('Senior Citizen Appeal'), Kailash Saini v. Smt. Chhota Devi & others, filed under Section 16 of the 2007 Act, is directed to be taken back on register/file, treated as maintainable, and decided on merits after hearing both parties; the stay and miscellaneous applications, if any, are also disposed of accordingly.ratio¶31

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Senior Citizens â€” Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 â€” Sections 5 and 16(1) â€” maintainability of appeal by children/relatives against Section 5 maintenance order. Petitioners (son and daughter-in-law of the respondent senior citizen) appealed under Section 16 against the maintenance direction of Rs. 5,000 per month; the District Collector & District Magistrate, Jaipur dismissed the appeal (No. 14/2026, 'Senior Citizen Appeal') holding that Section 16 permits appeals only by senior citizens and parents. Allowing the writ, the Court (Shubha Mehta, J.; order dated 03/07/2026) held, adopting the position settled by a coordinate Single Bench of this Court in Single Bench Civil Writ Petition No. 11941/2021 (whose paras 23-24 are quoted, recording inter alia the Addl. Solicitor General of India Mr. R.D. Rastogi's statement that the remedy of appeal under Section 16(1) is available to all aggrieved persons including children and relatives), that a child aggrieved by a Section 5 order has the right to appeal under Section 16 and such appeal is maintainable. The order dated 11-05-2026 (printed '11-052026') was quashed and the appeal restored to file for decision on merits after hearing both parties; pending stay/miscellaneous applications disposed accordingly. Body of the order is largely in Hindi (legacy-encoded in the source text).

[2026:RJ-JP:24770]

HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN BENCH AT JAIPUR

S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 10437/2026

URN: CW / 23138U / 2026

Kailash Saini, S/o Late Sh. Kaluram Saini

Smt. Seema @ Radhika W/o Kailash Saini, Both R/o 89, Sumer Nagar-Ii, Village Kalyanpura, Tehsil Sanganer, Dist - Jaipur, Presently Residing At 168A, Patel Nagar, Village Kalyanpura, Police Station Muhana, Jaipur South, TehsilSanganer, Dist- Jaipur.

----Petitioners

Versus

Smt. Chhota Devi W/o Late Shri Kaluram Saini, R/o 89, Sumer Nagar-Ii, Kalyanpura, Tehsil Sanganer, Dist- Jaipur. Presently Residing At 168A, Patel Nagar, Village Kalyanpura Police Station, Muhana Jaipur South, Tehsil Sanganer, Dist- Jaipur.

----Respondent

For Petitioner(s) : Mr. Vinod Kumar Tamboliya for Mr. Ishwar Gahlot For Respondent(s) :

HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE SHUBHA MEHTA

Order

03/07/2026

;g ;kfpdk ;kphx.k] tks fd v;kph ds iq= ,oa iq=o/kw gSa] }kjk izLrqr

dh xbZ gSA

lquk x;kA

;kphx.k ds fo}ku vf/koDrk us izdV fd;k fd v;kph dh vksj ls ;kphx.k ds fo#) /kkjk 5 ekrk&firk vkSj ofj"B ukxfjdksa dk Hkj.k&iks"k.k rFkk dY;k.k vf/kfu;e] 2007 ds izko/kkuksa ds varxZr ifjokn is'k fd;k x;k Fkk] tks fd vkaf'kd :i ls Lohdkj fd;k tkdj ;kphx.k dks ;g vkns'k fn;k x;k fd os v;kph ekrk dks ikap gtkj #i;s izfrekg Hkj.k&iks"k.k vnk djsaxsA blds fo#) mDr vf/kfu;e dh /kkjk 16 ds izko/kkuksa ds varxZr ;kphx.k }kjk U;k;ky; ftyk dysDVj

[2026:RJ-JP:24770]

[CW-10437/2026]

(2 of 3)

,oa ftyk eftLVªsV] t;iqj ds le{k vihy izLrqr dh xbZ] ;g vihy bl vk/kkj ij fujLr dj nh xbZ fd mDr vf/kfu;e dh /kkjk 16 ds varxZr dsoy ofj"Btuksa vkSj ekrk&firk ¼Parents½ dks gh vihy izLrqr djus dk vf/kdkj gSA vr% iq= ,oa iq=o/kw }kjk izLrqr vihy iks"k.kh; ugha gSA mudk rdZ gS fd bl U;k;ky; dh led{k ihB }kjk ikfjr fu.kZ; ¼,dy ihB flfoy fjV ;kfpdk la[;k 11941@2021½ esa Li"V :i ls ;g fu.khZr fd;k x;k gS fd /kkjk 16 ds varxZr ihfM+r O;fDr esa cPps vkSj vU; fj'rsnkj Hkh 'kkfey gSa vkSj mudh vksj ls izLrqr vihy Hkh iks"k.kh; gSA

lquk x;kA leLr rF;ksa ij fopkj fd;k x;kA bl U;k;ky; dh led{k ihB }kjk ,dy ihB flfoy fjV ;kfpdk la[;k 11941@2021 esa ikfjr fd;s x, fu.kZ; ds egRoiw.kZ o lqlaxr iSjk la[;k 23 o 24 fuEu izdkj gSa%&

Before parting this order, this Court would like to add that since by various pronouncements by various Hon’ble Courts it has been held that the remedy of an appeal under section 16(1) of the Act of 2007 is available to all the aggrieved persons including the children and relatives. The Addl. Solicitor General of India Mr. R.D. Rastogi, Senior Advocate also stated before the Court that the remedy of an appeal under section 16(1) of the Act of 2007 is available to all the aggrieved persons including the children and relatives but because of non-mentioning in Section 16 of the Act of 2007 that the children and the relatives could also file an appeal, the confusion remains in legal fraternity and the general public which leads them to invoke the writ jurisdiction against the orders of the Maintenance Tribunal.

In view of the observations of the Hon’ble Courts and the statement made by learned Addl. Solicitor General of India, this Court expects from the Union of India to take necessary steps for issuing orders, circulars or amendments in consonance with the observations, findings of the Hon’ble Courts and the statement of Addl. Solicitor General of India in regard to the

[2026:RJ-JP:24770]

[CW-10437/2026]

(3 of 3)

remedy of filing of an appeal to the children and relatives under the provision of Section 16(1) of the Act of 2007.

;kphx.k dh vksj ls U;k;ky; ftyk dysDVj ,oa ftyk eftLVªsV] t;iqj ds le{k izLrqr vihy varxZr /kkjk 16 ekrk&firk vkSj ofj"B ukxfjdksa dk Hkj.k&iks"k.k rFkk dY;k.k vf/kfu;e] 2007 bl vk/kkj ij fujLr dh xbZ gS fd iq=&iq=o/kw dh vksj ls izLrqr vihy iks"k.kh; ugha gSA tcfd bl U;k;ky; dh led{k ihB }kjk ikfjr fu.kZ;] ftldk Åij mYys[k fd;k x;k gS] esa ;g Li"V :i ls fu.khZr gS fd cPpksa dks Hkh vf/kfu;e dh /kkjk 5 ds izko/kkuksa ds varxZr ikfjr vkns'k ls O;fFkr gksus ij mlds fo#) vihy varxZr /kkjk 16 ekrk&firk vkSj ofj"B ukxfjdksa dk Hkj.k&iks"k.k rFkk dY;k.k vf/kfu;e] 2007 esa djus dk vf/kdkj gS vkSj mudh vihy iks"k.kh; ekuh xbZ gSA

,slh fLFkfr esa ;g fjV ;kfpdk Lohdkj dh tkrh gS vkSj fo}ku U;k;ky; ftyk dysDVj ,oa ftyk eftLVªsV] t;iqj }kjk ikfjr vkns'k fnukad 11-052026 dks vikLr fd;k tkrk gS vkSj mUgsa funsZf'kr fd;k tkrk gS fd os ;kphx.k }kjk izLrqr vihy la[;k 14@2026 ¼ofj"B ukxfjd vihy½ dSyk'k lSuh cuke Jherh NksVk nsoh o vU; dks iqu% uacj ij ysrs gq, rFkk mls iks"k.kh; ekurs gq, nksuksa i{kksa dks lqudj xq.kkoxq.k ij fuLrkfjr djsaA

blh vuqlkj ;g ;kfpdk] LFkxu ,oa fofo/k izkFkZuk&i= ;fn dksbZ gksa] rks os Hkh mDrkuqlkj fuLrkfjr fd, tkrs gSaA

(SHUBHA MEHTA),J

25/NIMIT GOYAL