The Supreme Court has ruled that a widowed Hindu daughter-in-law is entitled to maintenance from the property of her father-in-law under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act irrespective of whether her husband died during the lifetime of her father-in-law or after. Bhatti said such a right was vested with a Hindu widowed daughter-in-law not only under the statutory Act but also under the Constitution and the ancient Manusmriti. ADVERTISEMENT“A son or the legal heirs are bound to maintain all the dependent persons out of the estate inherited, i.e. Therefore, on the death of a son, it is the pious obligation of the father-in-law to maintain a widowed daughter-in-law if she is unable to maintain herself either on her own or through the property left behind by the deceased son. The apex court passed the ruling while dismissing the appeals filed by Kanchana Rai and Uma Devi, relatives of Dr Mahendra Prasad, challenging the high court’s direction to examine the maintenance plea of his widowed daughter-in-law, Geeta Sharma, from his estate.

Source: The Telegraph January 14, 2026 23:17 UTC