Overview
- A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and S.V.N. Bhatti held that the phrase “any widow of his son” under Section 21(vii) of HAMA includes widows regardless of when the son died.
- The Court affirmed that heirs must maintain dependants from estate assets under Section 22 of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956.
- The judgment declared that excluding widows based on the timing of the husband's death would be arbitrary under Article 14 and would undermine dignity under Article 21.
- The dispute stems from Geeta Sharma’s claim after her husband, Ranjit Sharma, died in March 2023 following the December 2021 death of his father, Dr. Mahendra Prasad.
- Appeals by other heirs were dismissed, and the Family Court has been directed to decide the quantum of maintenance on merits.