Judgment

BHAGWATI, J. :- These writ petitions raise a common question of law relating to the liability of the State of Tamil Nadu for payment of family pension to widows of employees who were in the service of the former State of Madras and who retired from service before reorganisation of States under the States Reorganisation Act. 1956. The facts giving rise to these writ petitions are almost identical and it will, therefore, be enough if we state the facts of only one writ petition, namely, Writ Petition No. 4309 of 1982.

2. This writ petition came to be initiated as a result of a letter addressed to this Court by the petitioner complaining that though she was the widow of an employee of the former State of Madras, who -retired before the reorganisation of the States, under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, she was not being given the benefit of. family pension which was granted by the State of Tamil Nadu under a Notification dated 26th May, 1979. The letter of the petitioner was treated as a writ petition and notice was issued to the State of Tamil Nadu and since it appeared that the State of Tamil Nadu was disputing its liability to pay family pension to the petitioner on the