Even if the son turns 18, the father's responsibility towards him is not fulfilled

Important judgment of the Delhi High Court

The father paid Rs. Applied to review the High Court order to grant 15000

Married in 1997 and divorced in 2011: son aged 20 and daughter aged 18

New Delhi: A father's responsibility towards his son does not end when his son turns 18, the Delhi High Court has said. The father cannot be relieved of his responsibility for education if his son turns 18, the Delhi High Court has said.

The High Court has said that if the son turns 18, the entire burden of his education cannot be placed on the mother. Justice Subramaniam Prasad said that even if the son turns 18, the father should provide alimony as he has nothing left after spending on the children.

The verdict was passed after the father, who was living apart from his wife and son, rejected an application to review the High Court's decision to pay alimony of Rs 15,000 till the son starts earning a living after graduation.

The family court had earlier ruled that the son was entitled to maintenance until he became an adult and the daughter earned or was married. The court further said that even where women earn enough, fathers cannot be relieved of the responsibility of raising children.

In this case, the couple were married in November 1997. They have two children. The husband and wife divorced in November 2011. The son is 18 years old and the daughter is 18 years old. According to the information given to the High Court, the monthly salary of a woman is Rs 60,000 and that of a man is Rs 1.67 lakh. The woman is an Upper Divisional Clerk in the Delhi Municipal Corporation.