Parents In India Sue Their Son For Close To RM3 Million For Not Giving Them A Grandchild
The parents say that their son and daughter-in-law's refusal to have children has opened them to "taunts from society" and that they are being deprived of the joy that grandchildren bring into people's lives.
By Sadho Ram — 14 May 2022, 01:55 PM — Updated about 2 years ago
A couple in Uttarakhand, a state in the northern part of India, are suing their only son and his wife of six years for not giving them a grandchild
According to the couple, 61-year-old Sanjeev Prasad and 57-year-old Sadhana Prasad, they used up their savings to raise their son — Shrey Sagar — by paying for his pilot's training, a lavish wedding, and even his honeymoon. So now either the son and daughter-in-law give them a grandchild within a year or pay up.
The amount being demanded by Shrey's parents is close to RM3 million (INR50,000,000).
"They were wedded in 2016 in hopes of having grandchildren. We didn't care about gender, just wanted a grandchild. I gave my son all my money, [and] got him trained in America. I don't have any money now. We have demanded [the amount] from both my son and daughter-in-law in our petition," Sanjeev said.
"We did everything for our child. We raised him in the best possible manner. We got him married so that he could continue our family name. But it's [been] six years and they are not fulfilling our wish," the mother added.
The parents are suing their son and his wife on grounds that their refusal to have children has opened them to "taunts from society"
"We are facing immense mental harassment," the father said, adding that his son and the daughter-in-law live in two separate cities because of their jobs, causing them immense pain.
The father complained that his son's wife, 31-year-old Shubhangi Sinha, rarely stays with them even though they "treated" her "like our own daughter" and that this adds to his and his 57-year-old wife's sufferings.
"We even told her that if she is worried about taking care of the child due to her job, she could give the baby to us so that we could look after his bringing," a report in The Times of India quoted him as saying.
According to the father, grandchildren bring joy into people's lives, but they are being deprived of it.
The mother, too, described Shrey and Shubhangi's refusal to have children as "mental cruelty".
"We had no option but to go to the court. We have been trying to talk to them but whenever we raise the issue of grandchildren, they become evasive. Their decision not to procreate would mean the end of our family name," Sadhana was quoted as saying in a report by the BBC.
Ironically, the parents — who claim that they "are hardly left with any money" and had to take a "loan from a bank" — seem to not understand just how financially expensive it is to raise a child now.
Shrey and his wife do not appear to have commented on the highly unusual lawsuit, which is expected to be heard by a court on 17 May
The couple's lawyer, AK Srivastava, claimed that the parents' demand is justified.
"Their expectations are not wrong. This case portrays the truth of society. We invest in our children and make them capable of working in good firms. Children owe their parents basic financial care," he said.
