Summarize the following court judgment. Criminal Appeal No. 378 of 1986. From the Judgment and Order dated 11.10. 1985 of the Bombay High Court in Crl. Revision Appln. No. 167 of 1985. V.N. Ganpule for the Appellant. A.M. Khanwilkar	 A.S. Bhasme and G.B. Sathe for the Respondents. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by DUTT	 J. The only point that is involved in this appeal by special leave is whether the respondent No. 1 is entitled to claim maintenance from the appellant	 his married daugh ter	 under section 125(1)(d) Cr. The appellant Dr. Mrs. Vijaya Arbat	 a medical practi tioner at Kalyan	 District Thane	 is the married daughter of the respondent No. 1 Kashirao Rajaram Sawai	 by his first wife. Her mother died in 1948. Thereafter	 the respondent No. 1 remarried and is living with his second wife. The respondent No. 1 filed an application before the Judicial Magistrate	 First Court	 Kalyan	 claiming maintenance from the appellant	 his daughter	 at the rate of Rs.500 per month on the ground that he was unable to maintain himself. At the outset	 the appellant raised a preliminary objec tion to the maintainability of the application on the ground that section 125(1)(d) Cr. P.C. does not entitle a father to claim maintenance from his daughter. The preliminary objec tion was overruled by the learned Magis 334 trate	 and it was held by him that the application was maintainable. Being aggrieved by the order of the learned Magistrate	 the appellant moved the Bombay High Court in revision. The High Court affirmed the order of the learned Magistrate and held that the application of a father for maintenance who is unable to maintain himself is maintain able against his married daughter having sufficient means. In that view of the matter the High Court dismissed the revisional application of the appellant. Hence this appeal by special leave. Sub section (1) of section 125 Cr. P.C. provides as under: "If any person having. sufficient means ne glects or refuses to maintain (a) his wife	 unable to maintain herself or (b) his legitimate or illegitimate minor child	 whether married or not	 unable to maintain itself	 or (c) his legitimate or illegitimate child (not being a married daughter) who has at tained majority	 where such child is	 by reason of any physical or mental abnormality or injury unable to maintain itself	 or (d) his father or mother	 unable to maintain himself or herself	 a Magistrate of the first class may	 upon proof of such neglect or refusal	 order such person to make a monthly allowance for the maintenance of his wife or such child	 father or mother	 at such monthly rate not exceeding five hundred rupees in the whole	 as such Magistrate thinks fit	 and to pay the same to such person as the Magistrate may from time to time direct: Provided that the Magistrate may order the father of a minor female child referred to in clause (b) to make such allow ance	 until she attains her majority	 if the Magistrate is satisfied that the husband of such minor female child	 if married	 is not possessed of sufficient means. " Sub section (1) of section 125 confers power on the Magistrate of the First Class to order a person to make a monthly allowance for the 335 maintenance of some of his close relations like wife	 chil dren	 father and mother under certain circumstances. It has been observed by this Court in Bhagwan Dutt vs Kamla Devi	 ; that the object of section 125 Cr. P.C. is to provide a summary remedy to save dependents from destitu tion and vagrancy and thus to serve a social purpose. There can be no doubt that it is the moral obligation of a son or a daughter to maintain his or her parents. It is not desirable that even though a son or a daughter has sufficient means	 his or her parents would starve. Apart from any law	 the Indian society casts a duty on the chil dren of a person to maintain their parents if they are not in a position to maintain themselves. It is also their duty to look after their parents when they become old and infirm. The learned Counsel	 appearing on behalf of the appel lant	 has urged that under clause (d) of section 125(1) a father is not entitled to claim maintenance from his daugh ter whether married or not. Our attention has been drawn to the use of the pronoun 'his ' in clause (d) and it is submit ted that the pronoun indicates that it is only the son who is burdened with the obligation to maintain his parents. Counsel submits that if the legislature had intended that the maintenance can be claimed by the parents from the daughter as well	 it would not have used the pronoun 'his '. We are unable to accept this contention. It is true that clause (d) has used the expression "his father or mother" but	 in our opinion	 the use of the word 'his ' does not exclude the parents claiming maintenance from their daugh ter. Section 2(y) Cr. P.C. provides that words and expres sions used herein and not defined but defined in the Indian Penal Code have the meanings respectively assigned to them in that Code. Section 8 of the Indian Penal Code lays down that the pronoun 'he ' and its derivatives are used for any person whether male or female. Thus	 in view of section 8 IPC read with section 2(y) Cr. P.C.	 the pronoun 'his ' in clause (d) of section 125(1) Cr. P.C. also indicates a fe male. Section 13(1) of the General Clauses Act lays down that in all Central Acts and Regulations	 unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context	 words import ing the masculine gender shall be taken to include females. Therefore	 the pronoun 'his ' as used in clause (d) of sec tion 125(1) Cr. P.C. includes both a male and a female. In other words	 the parents will be entitled to claim mainte nance against their daughter provided	 however	 the other conditions as mentioned in the section are fulfilled. Before ordering maintenance in 336 favour of a father or a mother against their married daugh ter	 the court must be satisfied that the daughter has sufficient means of her own independently of the means or income of her husband	 and that the father or the mother	 as the case may be	 is unable to maintain himself or herself. Much reliance has been placed by the learned Counsel for the appellant on a decision of the Kerala High Court in Raj Kumari vs Yashodha Devi	 In that case it has been held by a learned Single Judge of the Kerala High Court	 mainly relying upon the report of the Joint Committee on the Criminal Procedure Code Bill	 1973	 that a daughter is not liable to maintain her parents who are unable to maintain themselves. The Joint Committee in their report made the following recommendations: "The committee considers that the right of the parents not possessed of sufficient means	 to be maintained by their son should be recog nised by making a provision that where the father or mother is unable to maintain himself or herself an order for payment of maintenance may be directed to a son who is possessed of sufficient means. If there are two or more children the parents may seek the remedy against any one or more of them" (Emphasis supplied). The learned Judge of the Kerala High Court did not refer in his judgment to the sentence which has been underlined. It is true that in the first part of the report the word 'son ' has been used	 but in the latter part which has been underlined the recommendation is that if there are two or more children the parents may seek the remedy against any one or more of them. If the recommendation of the Joint Committee was that the liability to maintain the parents	 unable to maintain themselves	 would be on the son only	 in that case	 in the latter portion of the report the Joint Committee would not have used the word 'children ' which admittedly includes sons and daughters. In our opinion	 as we read the report of the Joint Committee	 it did not place the burden of maintaining the parents only on the son	 but recommended that the liability to maintain the parents should be of the sons and the daughters as well. We have referred to the report of the Joint Committee inasmuch as the same has been relied upon in Raj Kumari 's case (supra) by the Kerala High Court and also on behalf of the appellant in the instant case. When the statute provides that the pronoun 'his ' not only denotes a male but also a female	 we do not think it necessary to refer to the report of the Joint Committee for the 337 interpretation of clause (d) of section 125(1) Cr. The father or mother	 unable to maintain himself or herself	 can claim maintenance from their son or daughter. The expression "his father or mother" is not confined only to the father or mother of the son but also to the father or mother of the daughter. In other words	 the expression "his father or mother" should also be construed as "her father or mother". In M. Areera Beevi vs Dr. K.M. Sahib	 [1983] Cr.L.J. 412	 and Repalli Masthanamma vs Thota Sriramulu	 	 another Single Bench of the Kerala High Court and the Andhra Pradesh High Court have respectively taken the view that the parents who are unable to maintain them selves can claim maintenance also from their daughters under section 125(1)(d) Cr. P.C. We are unable to accept the contention of the appellant that a married daughter has no obligation to maintain her parents even if they are unable to maintain themselves. It has been rightly pointed out by the High Court that a daugh ter after her marriage does not cease to be a daughter of the father or mother. It has been earlier noticed that it is the moral obligation of the children to maintain their parents. In case the contention of the appellant that the daughter has no liability whatsoever to maintain her parents is accepted	 in that case	 parents having no son but only daughters and unable to maintain themselves	 would go desti tute	 if the daughters even though they have sufficient means refuse to maintain their parents. After giving our best consideration to the question	 we are of the view that section 125(1)(d) has imposed a liabil ity on both the son and the daughter to maintain their father or mother who is unable to maintain himself or her self. Section 488 of the old Criminal Procedure Code did not contain a provision like clause (d) of section 125(1). The legislature in enacting Criminal Procedure Code	 1973 thought it wise to provide for the maintenance of the par ents of a person when such parents are unable to maintain themselves. The purpose of such enactment is to enforce social obligation and we do not think why the daughter should be excluded from such obligation to maintain their parents. The judgment of the High Court is affirmed and this appeal is dismissed. There will	 however	 be no order as to costs. 338 The learned Magistrate will now dispose of the applica tion under section 125(1)(d) Cr. P.C. of the respondent on merits in accordance with law. We make it clear that we have not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case. S.R. Appeal dis missed.

The appellant	 a medical practitioner at Kalyan	 Dis trict Thane	 is the married daughter of Respondent No. 1	 Kashirao Rajaram Sawai	 by his first wife	 who died in 1948. Thereafter	 Respondent No. 1 remarried and he is living with his second wife. He filed an application before the Judicial Magistrate	 First Court Kalyan claiming maintenance from the appellant at the rate of Rs.500 per month on the ground that he was unable to maintain himself. A preliminary objection raised to the effect	 that an application under section 125(1)(d) Criminal Procedure Code by a father to claim maintenance from his daughter was not maintainable was overruled by the Trial Magistrate and upheld by the High Court in revision. Hence the daughter 's appeal by Special leave. Dismissing the appeal	 the Court	 HELD: 1.1 An application under section 125(1)(d) of the Code of Criminal Procedure	 1973	 by a father claiming maintenance from his married daughter is perfectly maintain able. [337C] 1.2 Section 125(1)(d) of the Code (a new provision) has imposed a liability on both the son and the daughter to maintain their father or mother who is unable to maintain himself or herself. [337F] 1.3 The object of section 125 Criminal Procedure Code is to provide a summary remedy to save dependents from destitu tion and vagrancy and thus to serve a social purpose. There can be no doubt that it is the moral obligation of a son or a daughter to maintain his or her 332 parents. It is not desirable that even though a son or a daughter has sufficient means	 his or her parents would starve. Apart from any law	 the Indian Society casts a duty on the children of a person to maintain their parents if they are not in a position to maintain themselves. It is also their duty to look after their parents when they become old and infirm. [335B C] Bhagwan Dutt vs Kamla Devi	 ; 	 referred to. 2.1 It is true that clause (d) has used the expression 'his father or mother ' but	 the use of the word 'his ' does not exclude the parents claiming maintenance from their daughter. Section 2(y) Criminal Procedure Code provides that words and expressions used herein and not defined but de fined in the Indian Penal Code have the meanings respective ly assigned to them in that Code. Section 8 of the Indian Penal Code lays down that the pronoun 'he ' and its deriva tives are used for any person whether male or female. Thus	 in view of section 8 Indian Penal Code read with section 2(y) Criminal Procedure Code	 the pronoun 'his ' in clause (d) of section 125(1) Criminal Procedure Code also indicates a female. Section 13(1) of the General Clauses Act lays down that in all Central Acts and Regulations	 unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context	 words import ing the masculine gender shall be taken to include females. Therefore	 the pronoun 'his ' as used in clause (d) of sec tion 125(1) Criminal Procedure Code includes both a male and a female. In other words	 the parents will be entitled to claim maintenance against their daughter provided	 however	 the other conditions as mentioned in the section are ful filled. Before ordering maintenance in favour of a father or a mother against their married daughter	 the court must be satisfied that the daughter has sufficient means of her own independently of the means or income of her husband	 and that the father or the mother	 as the case may be	 is unable to maintain himself or herself. [335E H; 336A B] 2.2 When the statute provides that the pronoun 'his ' not only denotes a male but also a female	 it is not necessary to refer to the report of the Joint Committee on Criminal Procedure Code Bill for the interpretation of clause (d) of section 125(1) Criminal Procedure Code. The father or moth er	 unable to maintain himself or herself	 can claim mainte nance from their son or daughter. The expression 'his father or mother	 is not confined only to the father or mother of the son but also to the father or mother of the daughter. In other words	 the expression 'his father or mother ' should also be construed as 'her father or mother '. [336H; 337A B] 333 2.3 A daughter after her marriage does not cease to be a daughter of the father or mother. If it is not so	 parents having no son but only daughters and unable to maintain themselves	 would go destitute	 if the daughters even though they have sufficient means refuse to maintain their parents. [337D E] Raj Kumari vs Yashodha Devi	 	 overruled. M. Areera Beevi vs Dr. K.M. Sahib	 and Repalli Masthanamma vs Thota Sriramulu	 [1982] An. W.R. 393	 approved.