Lawfully yours: By Retd Justice K Chandru

My mom had filed a case in Madras High Court requesting to make my father pay for maintenance, as he abandoned both of us and has been living in Australia from 1997 onwards. The City Civil Court, to where the case got transferred, dismissed it after hearing it for seven years. My mom is now suffering from depression, let down by our advocate and judiciary. We had to spend a lot of money, even taking a loan. Though we had all the documents to prove our case, they were not added as proof and produced before the court by the advocate. What should we do in such a case? My mother’s legal battle for more than seven years only caused her more stress and mental agony.

— Balaji, Chennai

You have a good case to file an appeal against the order of the City Civil Court before the Madras High Court. Please engage a good lawyer and fight out your case.