Kerala has introduced a Bill in the Legislative Assembly that proposes stronger protection for senior citizens, regulation of elderly care facilities and penalties for abuse, neglect, property exploitation and unregistered care services. If enacted, the Keralam Senior Citizens (Care and Protection of Rights) Bill, 2026, would be the first comprehensive legislation of its kind in India, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said while presenting it.
The proposed law seeks to create a legal framework covering the care and protection of older people, along with access to healthcare, social security, legal assistance and other essential services. Satheesan said the legislation was intended to protect the rights and dignity of senior citizens and help ensure that they are not abandoned or left without support.
The Bill proposes a State Senior Citizens Protection Unit, along with district-level protection forums and units. These bodies would oversee implementation, monitor care facilities and address complaints involving neglect, abuse and exploitation. The proposed definition of abuse includes physical, mental and emotional harm, verbal abuse, financial exploitation, sexual abuse, neglect of basic needs and denial of essential goods and services.
The legislation would require elderly care homes, day-care centres, respite care centres, hospices, home-care service agencies and caregiver training centres to register with designated authorities. Registration certificates would be valid for four years and would require renewal. Authorities would be empowered to inspect facilities, investigate complaints and act against centres operating without registration or violating prescribed requirements.
A facility operating without registration, or continuing after its certificate has expired or been revoked, could face imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to Rs 25,000, or both. Centres refused registration could be ordered to close, with arrangements made for the rehabilitation of their residents. The Bill also proposes imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of up to Rs 25,000 for intentionally obstructing implementation of the proposed law or assisting such obstruction.
The proposed penalties are higher where property or personal safety is involved. A person in charge of a care centre who illegally possesses a resident’s property could face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 50,000. The same maximum punishment is proposed for physical or mental abuse or cruelty against a senior citizen by a family member, relative, legal heir, authority in charge of a care centre, staff member or caregiver.
The Bill also sets out a phased approach to caregiver training. Home-care agencies would have to ensure that at least 25 per cent of their caregivers obtain certification within two years of the law coming into force, 60 per cent within three years and all caregivers within four years. The legislation also includes measures intended to protect senior citizens from cybercrime and financial fraud, although the supplied details do not specify the full enforcement mechanism for those provisions.
Satheesan referred to cases in which children allegedly took possession of elderly parents’ property and abandoned them in Guruvayoor or Kanyakumari. The Bill states that senior citizens should preferably be supported in their own homes, with family and community assistance, while institutional care should remain the last resort wherever possible. Its next stage will depend on legislative consideration and enactment by the Assembly.
