Mother files case against children under Parents Care Act

An ailing mother abandoned in her old age has filed a case against two of her own children in Barishal under the rarely invoked Parents Care Act, 2013.

Jahanur Begum, 75, was even too sick to go to the court of Barishal Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Masum Billah to file the case, and so the formalities were completed at her residence in the Jorapukur area of the city at 4:30 pm Friday.

Jahanur filed the case against her son Mostafizur Rahman and daughter Sabina Akter for not taking responsibility for her treatment or maintenance.

On October 22, the accused children came to Barishal and said they won’t let her sell the property. At the same time they also flatly refused to give her any money for maintenance and misbehaved with her.

After that, they didn’t communicate with her anymore. On November 14, 2014, Jahanur’s husband passed away and since then she had been suffering from many medical conditions. She recently had a brain stroke, and suffers from an immobile spine, sore back and partial paralysis, said Jahanur.

She prayed for an arrest warrant to be issued against the accused, and payment of maintenance for her.

The probation officer of Barishal Social Welfare Division Sazzad Hossain said Jahanur Begum sent a complaint application under section five of the Parents Care Act through her lawyer to court against her two children.

After inquiring with the plaintiff’s lawyer Advocate Fazlul Haque, the judge was informed of Jahanur Begum’s sickness which does not allow her to leave her bed.

As the judge couldn’t testify to the plaintiff’s statement, Judge Masum Billah went to Jahanur Begum’s house after the court was adjourned.

The judge recorded Jahanur’s statement in the presence of Sazzad Hossain and the plaintiff’s lawyer.Finding primary evidence of her statement being true, the court recorded the case and summoned the accused and also ordered them to appear before the court by November 1.