law: Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 
  20. Maintenance of children and aged parents 
  (1) Subject to the provisions of this section a Hindu is bound,
  
  during his or her lifetime, to maintain his or her legitimate or illegitimate
  
  children and his or her aged or infirm parents.
  (2) A legitimate or illegitimate child may claim maintenance
  
  from his or her father or mother so long as the child is a minor.
  (3) The obligation of a person to maintain his or her aged or
  
  infirm parent or a daughter who is unmarried extends insofar as the parent or
  
  the unmarried daughter, as the case may be, is unable to maintain himself or
  
  herself out of his or her own earnings or other property.
  Explanation:  In this section "parent" includes a
  
  childless step-mother.