MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has granted relief to a 76-year-old woman from Ramanathapuram, who knocked the doors of the court after her plea to revenue officials about an encroachment on her property was not attended to for two years.
Justice L Victoria Gowri directed Paramakudi tahsildar to hold an inquiry by hearing both the petitioner N Pandiammal, and the alleged encroacher. Also, the judge directed the collector to take a decision based on the inquiry report, within a reasonable time.
Pandiammal, a widow, submitted that she has been living alone after marrying off her three daughters. She claimed that a stranger, under the guise of surveying his property, encroached upon her land. Though she gave a detailed representation in April 2023, seeking to remove the encroachment, no action has been taken.
The government counsel argued that the case ought to be heard by a division bench since it is an encroachment. But Justice Gowri considered it under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 and Rules, 2009.
She observed that in a democratic country, when the family system has failed and the senior citizens are thrown to the streets, it is the bounden duty of the state to protect the senior citizens and to take care of their safety and security till they breathe their last, she added. In the petitioner’s case, since she is a senior citizen who lives alone, the district collector would be her guardian, the court opined and passed the above order.