Door-to-Door Struggle to Her Own Home

Premi Bai (name changed), wife of Late Shri Banshilal Ji Paliwal, aged 75 years, was married in her childhood. Despite many years of marriage, she could not have children. Due to childlessness, she was denied respect in her marital home and was subjected to continuous physical and mental harassment. As a result, Premi Bai was forced to leave her marital home and start living at her parental place.

Whenever she visited her marital home, family members did not allow her to live peacefully. To sustain herself, Premi Bai began working as a daily wage labourer and lived in a rented room at her parental place. During this time, her husband adopted his younger brother’s son as his foster son, who continued to live in the house as a son and gradually took control of the entire property.

Premi Bai had ownership over two rooms. Whenever she went there, she was allowed to stay only for a few days and was then forced to leave. After the death of her husband, the situation worsened further. The foster son and his wife completely took over the house and compelled Premi Bai to wander from place to place.

Following this, Premi Bai approached Rajsamand Jan Vikas Sansthan, Rajsamand, and shared her entire ordeal. In 2015, through the Nari Adalat, arrangements for her residence and maintenance were facilitated. However, the accused party continuously avoided paying maintenance—sometimes paying and sometimes refusing.

Even at the age of 75, Premi Bai was compelled to earn her livelihood by selling vegetables and working under MGNREGA. Later, on someone’s advice, she approached the Women Safety and Counselling Centre, Gangapur, District Bhilwara, which is also operated by Rajsamand Jan Vikas Sansthan. There, she once again narrated her complete situation.

Her case was formally registered at the centre, and the accused party was informed over the phone. Both parties were called for counselling sessions, through which a resolution was achieved. As part of the settlement, Premi Bai was restored possession of her house, and a monthly maintenance amount of ₹2,000 was fixed to be paid by the foster son. Maintenance for the past 25 months had not been paid, out of which payment for 18 months amounting to ₹36,000 was facilitated in cash in January. The accused also committed to clearing the remaining 7 months’ payment within one month. The counsellor accompanied Premi Bai to her house and formally facilitated her re-entry into the property. The accused was also instructed to repair the damage caused to the house, which he agreed to do.

Today, Premi Bai is living safely in her own home and is receiving regular monthly maintenance of ₹2,000. She is now able to live her life with dignity, security, and self-confidence.