The Allahabad High Court has delivered a significant judgment regarding maintenance rights, stating that a daughter-in-law is not legally obligated to provide maintenance to her parents-in-law under Section 125 of the CrPC (now Section 144 of the BNSS). Justice Madan Pal Singh observed that the right to claim maintenance is a statutory right limited to specific categories of persons defined by law, and parents-in-law do not fall within that ambit.

The case involved an elderly couple whose son, a UP Police constable, had passed away. They sought maintenance from their daughter-in-law, arguing that she was earning and they were entirely dependent on their deceased son. However, the High Court emphasized that “moral obligations, no matter how strong, cannot be converted into legal liabilities in the absence of a statutory mandate.”

Rejecting the plea, the Court noted there was no evidence that the daughter-in-law secured her job on compassionate grounds following her husband’s death. While acknowledging the emotional aspect of the case, the Court clarified that law and morality are distinct, and one cannot be forced to pay maintenance unless prescribed by the statutes.