New Delhi, May 08: The in-laws might have thrown
a widow out of their matrimonial house but they would still be entitled to the property left behind by the unfortunate woman as courts cannot be swayed by "sympathy" and "sentiments" alone, the Supreme Court has ruled.
This would be inspite of the fact that the property
left behind by the widow was "self acquired" through her own
efforts, without an educational, monetary or other moral
support to her, a bench of Justices S B Sinha and Mukundakam
Sharma said.
The apex court observed "it is now a well settled
principle of law that sentiment or sympathy alone would not be
a guiding factor in determining the rights of the parties
which are otherwise clear and unambiguous."
The bench passed the ruling while dismissing the
appeal filed by the brothers of the widow who placed a claim
over the property left behind by their widowed sister Narayani
Devi.
In this case, Narayani Devi was married to Dindayal
Sharma in 1955 but became a widow within three months of her
marriage.
It was alleged that she was driven out of her
matrimonial home immediately after the death of her husband by
the in-laws.
Bureau Report
