India, March 31 -- Children cannot challenge maintenance orders meant to protect elderly parents, the Orissa high court has said, quashing a Balasore collector's decision that had reopened a case filed by an 83-year-old widow seeking support from her sons.

"It is the duty and responsibility of her sons.to take her care at her old age, as she is physically incapable," the court said.

In a judgment delivered on Monday, justice Ananda Chandra Behera restored an earlier maintenance order in favour of Parbati Das and ruled that the collector had acted without jurisdiction in entertaining an appeal filed by one of her sons.

Parbati Das had initially approached the Balasore sub-collector, functioning as the Maintenance Tribunal under the Main...