Can father use child's PPF fund to pay maintenance?
A Delhi High Court recently ruled that a father cannot use funds from his daughter's PPF account to pay for her maintenance. The case involved a man who opened a PPF account for his daughter when she was a minor in 1999. The account matured in 2016 and was closed by the father, who withdrew the entire Rs 8,13,853.79. The daughter, who was pursuing her BBA at the time, filed a suit demanding the return of the PPF amount along with interest.
The father claimed he was acting in good faith, stating the funds were intended for her education and well-being. He also mentioned paying Rs 12,000 monthly maintenance to his daughter and Rs 35,000 to his wife under court orders. However, the Delhi High Court ruled that the PPF funds belonged exclusively to the daughter and could not be used to cover her maintenance expenses.
The court upheld the trial court's decision and ordered the father to pay the entire amount to his daughter, including 8% interest on the PPF account rate from 2016.
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