Recently,  the Jharkhand High Court drew upon references from the Mahabharata and scriptures to underscore the significance of a son's responsibilities towards his parents while delivering its judgment

Justice Subhash Chand referenced Yudhisthira's responses to the questions posed by the Yaksha God, citing the statement "father is higher than heaven" made by the eldest Pandava brother in the Mahabharat in the context of a legal judgment.

In a legal proceeding before the Family Court in Koderma, a 60-year-old man named Deoki Sao filed a petition seeking maintenance from his younger son, Manoj Sao. The court, after considering the circumstances, issued a directive requiring Manoj Sao to provide financial support to his elderly father, specifying a monthly payment of ₹3,000.

Alleging that his father is financially driven and possesses multiple sources of income, Manoj Sao filed a criminal revision in the high court to challenge the order issued by the Family Court regarding the monthly maintenance payment.

Deoki Sao, residing with his elder son, opted to equally divide the agricultural land he owned between his two sons. Justice Chand noted that it is the duty of a son to care for and support his parents.

The court order said: "In Mahabharat, the Yaksh asked Yudhisthira, 'What is weightier than the earth itself? What is higher than the heavens?' Yudhisthira answered, 'The mother is weightier than the earth; the father is higher than the heaven." Even if for the sake of argument, the father earns something, it is pious duty of a son to maintain his old father, Justice Chand observed in the order.