The couple, a 96-year-old man and his 86-year-old wife, have been allegedly abandoned by their son, who lives abroad. Residents of the condominium said the couple continue to live in dire conditions, with no one visiting them and no action from the authorities.
A resident of the estate said they heard loud groaning sounds of the elderly couple day and night. Nobody comes to see them and they are not in a good condition. Their son has also not contacted them yet.
“I have never seen their son visit. A woman used to come, but for the past few months even she has stopped visiting. The district administration must act urgently to assist the couple,” another resident said.
Kittu Mathur, secretary of the Ridgewood Estate Condominium Association, said the couple have lived in the society since 2001, but no information including their names are available.
They have never attended any society event and the son regularly made online payments for maintenance charges of the flat, but the association had no information about his whereabouts except for his phone number and email ID that’s available in the society’s records, Mathur said.
“We are grateful to HHRC’s Justice Lalit Batra who expressed his concern over the prolonged mental and physical suffering endured by the couple, but no action has been taken by the district administration yet,” he added.
Acting on a complaint from residents, the HHRC had directed the district administration and health authorities to conduct an immediate medical, psychological, and social assessment of the couple.
The complaint alleged the couple were left in a state of neglect, with only two untrained female attendants and no proper medical supervision.
Justice Batra noted that the elderly man’s cries of pain, heard day and night, were causing distress not just to his wife but to other residents.
He said the case represents a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to live with dignity, and invoked the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
If intentional abandonment is established, the Commission said, the son could face criminal liability under Section 24 of the Act.
The Commission directed the Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram to form a multidisciplinary committee, including the Commissioner of Police, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Civil Surgeon, and District Social Welfare Officer, to assess the couple’s condition and prepare a long-term care plan.
A status report is to be submitted to the Commission before the next hearing on July 3, 2025. Despite repeated attempts, Gurugram DC Ajay Kumar could not be contacted. PTI COR OZ OZ
