Now Reading: Delhi HC: Father cannot use daughter’s PPF money to pay maintenance
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Delhi HC: Father cannot use daughter’s PPF money to pay maintenance
The Delhi High Court has ruled that a father cannot withdraw money from his daughter's Public Provident Fund (PPF) account to meet his maintenance obligations to her and his estranged wife. Justice…
The Story in Brief
The Delhi High Court has ruled that a father cannot withdraw money from his daughter's Public Provident Fund (PPF) account to meet his maintenance obligations to her and his estranged wife. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna held on August 3 that the daughter, Shamli Kawatra, is entitled to the entire corpus of over Rs 8 lakh that her father Sudhir Kawatra had withdrawn in 2016.
Sudhir Kawatra had opened the PPF account in 1999 for his daughter. He closed the account a year before maturity, claiming the money went towards maintenance. The court said a parent holds such investments only as a guardian, and the money cannot offset the independent legal duty of maintenance. The High Court upheld the district court order directing the father to repay the full amount with 8 per cent interest.
The Indian Opinion
Some will paint this ruling as yet another blow to a father's rights in maintenance disputes, but the court's logic is hard to fault. A parent who sets aside money for a child's future cannot later raid it to cover his own legal obligations, then claim credit. The narrative of the embattled father ignores the daughter's clear legal entitlement to the corpus. The real test will be whether the father complies with the 8% interest order or forces another round of litigation.
Sources (2): barandbench.com, livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
