JUDGMENT

Ahsanuddin Amanullah, J. - Heard Mr. Rajani Kant Pandey, learned counsel for the petitioners; learned Assistant Counsel to Government Pleader 26 for the State; Mr. Manish Kumar, learned counsel for Employees' Provident Fund Organization (hereinafter referred to as the 'EPFO') and Mr. Kumar Priya Ranjan, learned counsel for the Punjab National Bank (hereinafter referred to as the 'Bank').

2. The petitioners have moved the Court for the following reliefs:

".....for issuance of appropriate writ, rule or direction in the nature of mandamus commanding upon the respondent authorities for payment of pension for the period July 2000 to September 2010 and penal interest of 12% which may be calculated from the date the amount fell due to the actual date of payment forth with along with exemplary cost for not making payment even after more than 9 years."

3. Briefly stated, the relevant facts are that the original petitioner (Fekna Devi), after the death of her husband (Shiv Pujan Ram) on 22.02.2008, upon superannuation on 30.06.2000, approached the EPFO for payment of due pension of her late husband and her family pension, by filing an application through her lawyer under the Right to I