IN THE HIGH COURT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR AND LADAKH AT JAMMU
Sanjeev Kumar, J.
Vaishnu Devi – Appellant
Versus
Union of India and Ors. – Respondent
OWP No. 986/2010, IA No. 01/2017, IA No. 02/2017, IA No. 01/2018, IA No. 02/2018, IA No. 1341/2020
Decided On : 20-09-2021
Service Law-Retiral Benefits-Rule 53 of CCS Pension Rules, 1972-Rules unequivocally provide for payment of family pension in favour of widow of deceased employee and not mother who may be dependent upon earnings of her son-Widow is ordinarily entitled to family pension till her death or remarriage, whichever is earlier-However, in view of proviso appended to Rule 54(6)(i) of CCS (Pension) Rules, widow may be paid family pension even after remarriage provided her independent income from all sources is less than amount of minimum prescribed family pension. (Para 16)
Result-Petition disposed of with directions.
JUDGMENT :
Sanjeev Kumar, J.
1. Petitioner is mother of late Sepoy Tilak Raj Sharma of 39th Battalion CRPF, who attained martyrdom on 29th June, 2010, while fighting with Naxalites in District Narainpur of State of Chhattisgarh. She seeks indulgence of this Court to direct respondents 1 to 6 to pay only half of the total amount being given to respondent No.7, the wife of martyr Sepoy Tilak Raj Sharma on the ground that she is sole nominee appointed by the deceased. She prays for payment of rest half of the said amount to her being mother and Class-1 legal heir of the deceased under Hindu Succession act, 1956. Petitioner has also prayed for a direction to respondent No.7 to pay one half of the total amount so far received by her being widow and nominee of Late Tilak Raj Sharma. Respondent No.9 and 10 are State Bank of India Branches Ban Talab and Billawar in District Kathua, where the benefits payable on account of martyrdom of Shri Tilak Raj have been deposited and where the respondent No.7 is maintaining her account.
2. Briefly stated, the facts projected in the writ petition are that the petitioner is proud mother of Shaheed Tilak Raj, a Sepoy of 39th BN CRPF who sacrificed his life in an encounter with Naxalite terrorists in the State of Chhattisgarh while as respondent No.7 is the widow of the martyr. On account of martyrdom of Shri Tilak Raj in the line of duty, the official respondents have released a handsome amount which is given by the Government to the heirs of the deceased so that they are in a position to tide over the financial crisis befallen on the family due to untimely demise of their bread winner. The respondent No.7 is entered as sole nominee of the deceased in his service records and, therefore, all the amounts so given by the Government are pouring in the account of respondent No.7 maintained with respondent No.9 and 10. It is submitted that in law a nominee is only entitled to collect/receive such money and the same is required to be disbursed to the legal heirs entitled to receive such money as per their share. It is alleged by the petitioner that after she lost her young son to the terrorists, she also lost her daughter-in-law, who, after receiving huge amount of money given by the Government, left her matrimonial home and started living with her parents leaving the petitioner and her husband to fend for themselves. It has also come on record that respondent No.7 has remarried. In short, the grievance projected in the petition is that though respondent No.7 may be entitled to family pension till her death or remarriage, whichever is earlier, as provided under relevant rules yet the other amounts like exgratia amount payable on account of martyrdom of Tilak Raj is required to be distributed amongst the legal heirs strictly as per Hindu Succession Act. The petitioner being Class 1 heir is entitled to receive equal share in the estate of the deceased along with wife of the deceased.
3. It is in the backdrop of aforesaid contentions, the petitioner claims half share in the family pension as well as other sums received or receivable on account of martyrdom of her son Sepoy Tilak Raj.
4. The official respondents have filed their objections wherein the stand taken is that as per their records, respondent No.7 is the legally wedded wife of Sepoy Tilak Raj and is nominee/next of kin entitled to all services benefits and exgratia as per norms. The details of terminal dues payable to the respondent No.7 being nominee have been detailed in para 3 of the objections. It is the contention of official respondents that respondent No.7 being legally wedded wife and nominee of the deceased is entitled to receive all the benefits and the petitioner, if at all has any claim, is well within her rights to approach the Civil Court of competent jurisdiction to enforce such claim. The official respondents being bound by law are under an obligation to disburse the amount to the nominee.
5. Respondent No.7 too has filed her objections a
SupremeToday
Nominee holds pension/gratuity as trustee; legal spouse's claim prevails over nomination under succession laws.
The right to pension as a vested entitlement necessitates recognition of only legitimate dependents for the disbursement of retiral benefits, irrespective of the existence of previous marital ties.
A mother who has remarried is not entitled to family pension benefits as per Regulation 70 of Pension Regulations, 2008, which prioritizes the father when a son has nominated him as the pension benef....
Nominee under pension rules is trustee for legal heirs; cannot appropriate full retiral benefits excluding other heirs.
The legal point established is the entitlement of the legally wedded spouse to pensionary benefits under the applicable rules and the invalidity of nominations contrary to statutory provisions.
Family pension claims cannot be contingent on a testamentary disposition; entitlement is based on recognized marital status and official dependency designations, without requiring succession certific....
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