• Daughter in law’s rights

Hello , I’m married for 11 years and live in foreign land. I earn and my husband and I are living contended life. My father in law always wanted my husband to take my earnings and keep them in shared account. He didn’t even ask me about that. But this hurts the ego of my FiL. He asks me for my bank statement just to check if I’m sending money to my parents? Is this legal as per Indian marriage law to threaten for bank statements? Also at times I help my parents as terms of gifts. They don’t ask any recurring money. Will this put me in trouble future? I keep telling my FiL that my husband is the responsible person to ask about my finances. My in-laws haven’t spent a penny for me (literally) during these years but expects me to send all my earnings to them. I do send money then and there and get gifts whenever I visit. Please guide me on this. P.S: I don’t have kids.

Thanks
Asked 4 years ago in Family Law
Religion: Hindu

10 answers received in 1 day.

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12 Answers

Your father in law cannot ask for your bank statements 

 

2) you are at liberty to give gifts to your parents 

 

3) you don’t have to send money to your in laws 

Ajay Sethi
Advocate, Mumbai
96943 Answers
7822 Consultations

1. Your father-in-law has no legal right to dictate terms to you regarding your personal finances.

2. Whatever money you are earning is from your hard work and it's your self earned money and for which , no one will have any right, including your husband.

3. It's upto you to send money to your parents and your father-in-law has no right to prevent it.

4.  Any daughter-in-law is expected to take care of her in-laws, but that does not mean that she has to disclose her income and expenditure. A daughter-in-law may help her in-laws financially but the in-laws can't claim it as a matter of right.

Shashidhar S. Sastry
Advocate, Bangalore
5412 Answers
330 Consultations

Being a adult person you have every right to give your earnings to anyone you so choose and no one can stop you from this.  Therefore ignore the demand of your father in law.  

So let them think in their own way and you act on your own. 

Devajyoti Barman
Advocate, Kolkata
23222 Answers
514 Consultations

You’re not obliged to part away with the details that he has been asking you. No Indian law mandates you to part with the info he’s asking.

 

You are free to exercise your free will in this matter and take a call. 

Vibhanshu Srivastava
Advocate, Lucknow
9659 Answers
307 Consultations

Your FIL do not have rights on your earnings, nor your husband. You have full rights to send money to your parents and there is law where it tells daughter also has to take care of their parents.

Ganesh Kadam
Advocate, Pune
12987 Answers
262 Consultations

1. Legally you are NOT bound to share or inform or provide ANY details about your own earnings to ANYBODY (includes FIL's, Husband, whoseover.... ) and neither will this create any futuristic legal issues.

2. You are advised to "one time" nicely & firmly inform your "orthodox" FIL's that you are not interested in sharing or informing or providing any details about your own personal income. Forcing you to do so would constitute various criminal offences at the hands of FIL's

Keep Smiling .... Hemant Agarwal
VISIT: www.chshelpforum.com

Hemant Agarwal
Advocate, Mumbai
5612 Answers
25 Consultations

Hi, The money you have earning is the self acquired and no one has right to claim the same and you can spend the same as per your wishes and even your husband has no right to claim the same.  So you can spend your amount as per your wishes.

Pradeep Bharathipura
Advocate, Bangalore
5611 Answers
338 Consultations

- As per the Supreme Court, A wife has complete ownership rights over all her Streedhan, the gifts and money given to her before and after marriage. The denial of Streedhan to the wife makes the husband and in-laws liable for criminal charges. 

- Further, a husband cannot claim any right over the earnings of his wife and also he cannot inherit any share in the property of his wife during her life time.

- Further , it is the duty of your husband to maintain you even you are a working lady .

- Hence, you can refuse for the same legally , and it also amounts to cruelty by the husband and his family members. for which you are free to file cases against them . 

Mohammed Shahzad
Advocate, Delhi
14515 Answers
221 Consultations

Neither your father in law nor your husband has any rights to know about your salary income details nor they can demand you to pay the same every month.

It is illegal and an  act of domestic violence also.

You can spend your salary income on anyone of your choice including your  own parents.

Nobody has any rights to prevent you from sending money even recurrently to your parents. 

As a courtesy sake you may share the details with your husband and not beyond him to anyone and you cannot be pressurised to reveal the details by your father in law. 

You can politely refuse to divulge the details sought by him stating that you are not bound by his dictates. 

T Kalaiselvan
Advocate, Vellore
87143 Answers
2340 Consultations

Dear Ma'am,

1. It is not legal to threaten for bank statements. You are not under any obligation to disclose your bank details to anyone including your spouse. 

2. According to laws, you can gift your self earned money to anyone you wish to. There is no problem if you are gifting something to your parents. 

Try to settle this matter amicably after involving your husband. Don't let these trivial issues affect your relationship and mental peace.

Best wishes. 

 

 

Agam Sharma
Advocate, New Delhi
617 Answers
6 Consultations

A woman's earning is totally her business and nobody has a right to ask even a penny. Not even her husband according to Indian laws. 

Therefore don't bother urself wih such issues. 

U have total right on what u earn , where u spend and on whom u spend. Nobody can question nor demand. 

Sital Patil
Advocate, Kota
139 Answers

Your money and earnings are yours and nobody can question the way you spend it. He cannot compel you to pay to his son or not give your parents.

Rahul Mishra
Advocate, Lucknow
14107 Answers
65 Consultations

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