The Allahabad High Court has clarified that the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 cannot be used to resolve property ownership disputes between people who are not related to senior citizens.

The Court explained that the law is meant to ensure care and protection of senior citizens by their heirs, not to decide who owns a property. Questions of ownership, it said, can only be decided by civil or revenue courts after proper examination of evidence.

In this case, the petitioner and his wife had bought land through a sale deed from two individuals. However, since other co-owners of the land had not signed the sale deed, a dispute arose when another person also purchased a portion of the same land and allegedly tried to take possession.

The petitioner approached local authorities and later moved the High Court seeking protection under the Senior Citizens Act.

The Court noted that there was no family relationship between the parties involved, and therefore, the Act could not be applied. It also clarified that even though the Act allows authorities to protect the property of senior citizens, it does not give them the power to decide ownership disputes.

The Court further held that the legal bar under the Act does not apply to such disputes between unrelated parties. Only a competent civil or revenue court can decide these matters.

As a result, the High Court dismissed the petition.

Case: Magghu Ram v. State of U.P. & Others