Adult daughter cannot be forced to live with parents against her will: Allahabad HC
The Allahabad High Court has held that parents cannot use a habeas corpus petition to compel an adult daughter to live with them against her wishes.
In an order dated September 28, Justice Sandeep Jain said a major person cannot be forced to live with a particular individual against her expressed wishes simply because that person is her parent.
The court made the observation while dismissing a habeas corpus petition filed by Kalawati Devi seeking the production of her 25-year-old daughter, Kumari Pooja, before the court.
The court had directed the state on August 17, 2026, to produce Pooja. She was subsequently brought before the court in compliance with the order.
During her interaction with the court, Pooja said she was living independently in Delhi by her own choice and was not being illegally or unlawfully detained.
She also told the court that she did not want to live with her mother. Pooja alleged that her mother's behaviour towards her had not been cordial and that she had repeatedly faced assault and abuse at her parental home.
The mother, however, denied the allegations and said she wanted her daughter to return and live with her at the family home.
After speaking to Pooja and considering her statement, the court concluded that she was a major and had consciously and voluntarily expressed her unwillingness to live with her mother.
The court therefore dismissed the habeas corpus petition and held that Pooja was free to live at a place and with a person of her choice. (with inputs from PTI)
