By Sulaimon Jamiu
A retired Indian couple have taken legal action against their son and daughter-in-law, demanding that they produce a grandchild within a year or pay them 50 million rupees ($675,000).
Sanjeev Ranjan Prasad, a 61-year-old retired government officer, said it was an emotional and sensitive issue for him and his wife, Sadhana Prasad, and they cannot wait any longer. His son, a pilot, was married six years ago.
“We want a grandson or a granddaughter within a year or compensation, because I have spent my life’s earnings on my son’s education,” Prasad told reporters on Thursday.
The older couple, who live in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, told the Times of India that the sum is what they spent on Shrey, who is now 35. This includes a $65,000 bill for Shrey’s pilot training in the US in 2006 and a luxury car gifted to him for his wedding.
“The main issue is that at this age we need a grandchild, but these people (my son and daughter-in-law) have an attitude that they don’t think about us,’’ Prasad was quoted as saying.
“We got him married in the hope we would have the pleasure of becoming grandparents. It has been six years since their marriage,” Prasad said. “It feels as if despite having everything we have nothing.”
The couple’s lawyer, AK Srivastava, told local news outlet ANI News that the case “portrays the truth of society.”
“We invest in our children, make them capable of working in good firms. Children owe their parents basic financial care,” the lawyer said, adding that the pair either wanted a grandchild within a year, or monetary compensation.
Media reports said the court accepted their petition and scheduled it for a hearing on Monday, May 17.
