(1) Subject to the provisions of this section a Hindu is bound, during his or her lifetime, to maintain his or her legitimate or illegitimate children and his or her aged or infirm parents.
(2) A legitimate or illegitimate child may claim maintenance from his or her father or mother so long as the child is a minor.
(3) The obligation of a person to maintain his or her aged or infirm parent or a daughter who is unmarried extends in so far as the parent or the unmarried daughter, as the case may be, is unable to maintain himself or herself out of his or her own earnings or other property.
Explanation.— In this section "parent" includes a childless step-mother.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 20
Section 20 of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 mandates the statutory maintenance of minor children, unmarried daughters, and aged or infirm parents.
The Explanation clarifies that 'parent' includes a childless stepmother.
Section 20 is of vital socioeconomic importance. In child maintenance disputes, mothers frequently combine applications under Section 20 HAMA with Section 125 CrPC to secure educational fees and marriage expense funds for adult unmarried daughters. Additionally, Section 20 operates alongside the Senior Citizens Act, 2007 to provide elderly parents with civil court remedies to enforce maintenance against adult sons and daughters.