India, Aug. 17 -- The Supreme Court has ruled that tribunals constituted under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 have the power to order eviction of persons from a property when such a measure is necessary to ensure the senior citizen's maintenance or protection.

A bench of justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said that the legislation was intended to ensure that advancing age does not become synonymous with "neglect, insecurity, or indignity" and reflects values deeply rooted in the country's civilisational ethos, which "revere the mother and the father as divine."

It emphasised that the measure of a civilised society is often reflected in the dignity, respect and security it affords to its elderly. ...