Don't deserve any sympathy: High Court slams man who abandoned mother at hospital

The Bombay High Court on Thursday strongly criticised a man who had abandoned his elderly mother at a Bandra hospital and refused to grant him additional time to furnish details of properties owned by her.

A bench of Justices AS Gadkari and RR Bhonsale was hearing a plea filed by Holy Spirit Hospital, Bandra, where the man had initially admitted his malnourished mother for treatment but later failed to get her discharged even after doctors declared her fit to be taken home. With the hospital bill mounting and no response from the son, the hospital was compelled to approach the High Court.

Earlier, the court had directed that the woman be shifted to a civic hospital after the unpaid bill at Holy Spirit Hospital rose to nearly Rs 16 lakh.

Subsequently, the man took his mother from the civic hospital and admitted her to another private hospital in South Mumbai. Informing the court, he said that she had been admitted there for the past 22 days and claimed that he was personally attending to her.

When the man appeared in person before the bench, the judges questioned the absence of his advocate and asked why he had still not submitted details of his mother’s properties, as directed earlier.

Speaking in a raised voice, the man told the court that it was his mother and that he had become emotional. He alleged that his advocate had “collaborated” with the opposing side and sought time to engage a new lawyer.

He further stated that his mother was scheduled to undergo surgery and requested four weeks to submit the required documents. Claiming that he had rushed to court from the hospital, he said that if he stayed away from her, he would again be labelled an “abandoner.”

The bench, visibly displeased by his conduct, directed him to lower his voice and observed that if he were truly concerned about his mother, he would not have abandoned her in the first place. The court also noted that he had challenged the High Court’s earlier orders before the Supreme Court, which had refused to entertain his plea.

“You do not deserve any sympathy,” the bench remarked, rejecting his request for four weeks’ time. Instead, the court granted him only one week to furnish details of the properties owned by his mother.

The High Court reiterated that since the man had abandoned his mother, he could not claim any rights over her properties, and that was the reason the court had sought disclosure of the property details.

- Ends

Tune In