Himachal HC: Daughter-in-Law Cannot Evict Mother-in-Law From Shared Household

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ruled that a daughter-in-law cannot forcibly evict her mother-in-law from a shared household if they have lived together, even when the property was purchased and constructed by the daughter-in-law from her own earnings. The court made the observation while interpreting the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.
Justice Rakesh Kainthala dismissed the daughter-in-law’s petition and upheld a lower court order restoring the mother-in-law’s joint possession of the house.
The dispute arose after the son and daughter-in-law, who married in May 2013, lived with the family in the same house until 2024. Following a family conflict, the daughter-in-law claimed that she had bought the land and built the house using her own funds. She further contended that her in-laws were residing there only as tenants.
As relations deteriorated, the daughter-in-law allegedly rented the property to a third party and removed her in-laws from the house. Aggrieved by the eviction, the mother-in-law approached the court under the Domestic Violence Act, seeking protection of her right to reside in the shared household.
The High Court upheld the relief granted to the mother-in-law, emphasizing that a woman who has lived in a shared household cannot be deprived of her residence rights through forcible eviction.