Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court has directed the youngest son of an 86-year-old man to vacate the family’s ancestral home after the elderly father alleged that he had been subjected to repeated humiliation and torture.
Father alleged he was forced out
The retired government serviceman had been living in the ancestral house with his youngest son after his two elder sons moved out. According to the father, their relationship later deteriorated and he was eventually forced to leave the property and stay with another son.
The elderly man also alleged that his youngest son had taken exclusive possession of the house after he left. He approached the authorities seeking protection under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
In August 2025, the Sub-Collector, Bhubaneswar, directed the son to vacate the ground floor and hand it over to his father so that he could live there safely. Both sides subsequently challenged the order before the High Court.
Property dispute to be decided separately
The High Court, in its March 17, 2026 order, directed the youngest son to vacate the ancestral residence, protecting the elderly man’s right to live there with dignity. The court also stressed the welfare-oriented purpose of legislation protecting senior citizens.
However, the court declined to decide a separate dispute involving several parcels of land that the father had purchased in his youngest son’s name. That matter is already before a civil court, and the High Court said it should be resolved through those proceedings.
The case highlights the legal protections available to elderly parents facing alleged mistreatment while also making clear that questions of property ownership must be determined through the appropriate civil proceedings.