Three months ago, the city police were alerted by a neighbourhood in Kaloor that an aged woman was being physically harassed by her grandson.
Finding that the 85-year-old was indeed being harassed, the police registered a case invoking Section 24 of the Senior Citizens Act. Since the grandson was a minor, the officer concerned registered a case against his parents for not stopping him from tormenting the grandmother.
The family had since then moved out from Kaloor though not before petitioning the Kerala Women’s Commission against the officer who turned up at the mega adalat organised by the Commission here on Wednesday. The adalat will be under way for two days.
This was one of the 84 cases taken up at the first day of the two-day adalat, out of which 21 cases were settled while 14 cases were set apart seeking reports from the police and other agencies concerned, seven for want of revenue divisional officer’s report, four for counselling while the remaining 38 were postponed to the next adalat.
A graduate woman employed by a city-based hospital, who had allegedly been working without salary for five months, approached the adalat with a complaint that there was something fishy about the functioning of the hospital. The commission has sought a report from the Kadavanthra police in this regard.
In another case, a piece of property in the name of a mother was pledged with a bank by her son and his friend to meet the needs of the latter. The son, working in the Middle East, deposited ₹9.50 lakh in his friend’s account for the release of the mortgaged property. The allegation was that the friend in question had misappropriated the sum, leaving the property in danger of being auctioned off. The Commission has sought a report in the matter.
“Mainly, cases related to property and family disputes and workplaces were heard by the Commission. More complicated cases will be heard in the presence of the Chairperson on Thursday,” said Shiji Sivaji, one of the three Women’s Commission members who attended the adalat. M.S. Thara and E.M. Radha were the other two.