Parents sue only child because they want a grandchild

An Indian couple filed a lawsuit against their only son and his wife - because they want a grandchild and he's not a father yet.

Sanjiv Ranjan Prasad and his wife Sadhana Prasad, who are residents of Haridwar city in the northern state of Uttarakhand, moved court and are looking to be compensated with Rs 50m (£530,000) from the couple.

Sanjiv mentioned financial struggles for suing his son after getting married in 2016. The hope was that he would make him and his wife grandparents.

He also alleged that his son's wife and family controlled his son's money and stopped them from having a child.

"We didn't care about gender, just wanted a grandchild," Sanjiv told news agency ANI.

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Sanjiv also claimed that he spent all of his money to fund his son's education abroad in the US and is currently in a financial crisis.

"I gave my son all my money, got him trained in America. I don't have any money now," he said, in part.

In a petition filed in the court on Saturday (7 May), Sanjiv also claimed that he spent nearly Rs 20m (£258,322) to raise his only child, which was more than they could afford.

The petition further said that Sanjiv bought an expensive car for his son and daughter-in-law with borrowed money and also paid Rs 500,000 (£5,285) for the couple's honeymoon in Thailand.

Sanjiv continued on to claim that his son, who is a pilot for a commercial airline, moved to Hyderbad city in southern India, purchased a home in his wife's name, and stopped speaking to his parents.

When Sajiv pressed the matter for his son to have a grandchild, he alleged in the petition that the couple "pretended" to be separated because they both live in separate cities due to their line of work.

In conversation with The Independent, AK Srivastava, the advocate representing Sanjiv and his wife, said that they are looking for compensation for emotional and financial loss.

"The couple has the freedom to not give birth to a child, which is why we are asking to be compensated. The amount is just given the money Mr Prasad has spent on his son's upbringing," he said.

The case will be heard in court on Tuesday, May 17.

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