Father Can't Utilise Child's PPF Funds To Offset His Maintenance Obligation: Delhi HC

Home / News updates Father Can't Utilise Child's PPF Funds To Offset His Maintenance Obligation: Delhi HC X Delhi High Court held that a father cannot use money from his daughter's PPF account to offset his legal obligation to pay maintenance, directing repayment of over ₹8.13 lakh with interest Maintenance is an independent legal responsibility of a parent and cannot be adjusted against investments made in a child's name, the Court held while dismissing a father's appeal against a decree directing him to return over ₹8.13 lakh withdrawn from his daughter's PPF account The Delhi High Court has held that a father cannot utilise funds invested in his child's Public Provident Fund (PPF) account to offset his independent legal obligation to maintain the child, observing that maintenance is a parent's day-to-day legal responsibility and cannot be discharged using the money to which the child is entitled upon attaining majority. The dispute arose from a suit filed by the respondent daughter seeking recovery of ₹8,13,853.79, the amount lying in a PPF account opened by her father in her name during her minority.