Chhattisgarh High Court Rules Stepmothers Entitled to Maintenance from Stepsons, Overturns Family Court Order
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In a landmark ruling providing major relief to elderly and destitute women, the Chhattisgarh High Court has firmly established that a childless widowed stepmother is fully entitled to claim financial maintenance from her stepsons. Presided over by Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha, the single bench set aside a previous family court dismissal, mandating that three stepsons collectively pay ₹9,000 per month in maintenance to their 77-year-old stepmother.
Stepmother's Legal Right to Maintenance Upheld
The case centers around 77-year-old Sankaiya Bai, a resident of Bilaspur, who sought financial support following the death of her husband, Purushottam Soni, in 2021. After her husband's demise, her three stepsons—Bhishan Prasad alias Govardhan Soni, Lochan Prasad Soni, and Deepak Prasad Soni—allegedly ceased all care and financial support.
Sankaiya Bai filed for maintenance under applicable legal provisions, noting that she is childless, possesses no independent source of income, and currently relies on her widowed daughter for shelter. She maintained that she had raised her stepsons since childhood and that they derived income from family agricultural land. Although the Bilaspur Family Court initially dismissed her petition on April 5, 2025, solely on the grounds that the respondents were stepsons rather than biological children, the High Court strongly rejected this reasoning.
High Court Overturns Family Court Decision
Revisiting the matter, the Chhattisgarh High Court emphasized that denying maintenance simply due to a step-relationship contradicts well-established legal principles previously outlined by the Supreme Court. The bench observed that the lower court failed to duly consider the petitioner's advanced age, widowhood, lack of financial independence, and undisputed claims of neglect.
Consequently, the High Court directed each of the three stepsons to pay ₹3,000 per month, totaling ₹9,000 monthly, effective September 2026. The court underscored that maintenance payments must be disbursed regularly in strict compliance with legal rules to ensure the elderly widow's dignity and livelihood.
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