IN. 19 SHOUGRAKPAM DEVANANDA DEVANANDA SINGH Date: 2026.01.16 13:29:41 SINGH +05'30'

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MANIPUR AT IMPHAL WP(C) No. 355 of 2020 Smt. Loukrakpam (O) Purnima Devi … Petitioner Vs.

State of Manipur & ors. … Respondents B E F O R E HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE AHANTHEM BIMOL SINGH JUDGMENT & ORDER (Oral)

15-01-2026 [1] Heard Mr. Ch. Robinchandra, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner; Mr. Th. Vashum, learned GA appearing for the respondents No. 1 to 5 and Mr. MK Ajir, learned counsel representing Mr. L. Gunindro, learned counsel appearing for the respondent No. 6.

[2] The petitioner is the wife of Late Shri L. Ibopishak Singh, who was working as a regular Work-Charged Chowkidar in the Electricity Department during his lifetime.

[3] The present writ petition has been filed assailing the order dated 22-01-2020 issued by the Secretariat: Power Department by which the claim made by the petitioner for grant of family pension under the Terminal Benefits for Work-Charged Staffs of PWD/ IFCD/ PHED/ MI and Electricity Rules, 1978 (hereinafter referred to as “Terminal Benefits Rules, for short”) had been rejected. The petitioner has also prayed for issuing appropriate directions to the respondents to pay family pension in respect of her deceased husband under the said Terminal Benefits Rules.

[4] The case of the petitioner is that her husband initially entered as Casual/ Muster Roll employee in the Electricity Department, Government of Manipur, in the year 1979-1980 along with other incumbents. After her husband had completed more than 10 (ten) years of service as a Casual/ Muster Roll employee, he along with other Casual/ Muster Roll employees of the Electricity Department, Government of Manipur, jointly filed a writ petition before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, which was registered as WP(C) No. 56 of 1990 “Smt. K. Leima Devi & 194 ors. Vs. State of Manipur & 2 ors.” praying for regularising their Casual / Muster Roll service. The said writ petition was allowed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India by an order dated

06-08-1990 by issuing the following directions:-

“The respondents are directed to absorb the petitioners in regular service in their respective posts according to rules by granting them exemption of age limit, if required, whenever vacancies arise provided the petitioners satisfy the requisite qualifications. Further we direct the respondents to pay the salaries and allowances etc. equal to that of regular employees doing similar work from the date of their absorption in their regular service.”

[5] Pursuant to the directions given by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order dated 06-08-1990 in WP(C) No. 56 of 1990, the Chief Engineer (Power), Government of Manipur, issued an Office Order No. 561 dated 19-10-1991 ordering the conversion of 195 Muster Roll workers, including the husband of the present petitioner, into Work- Charge establishment w.e.f. 19-10-1991. In the said order, it was also mentioned that the name of post and scale of pay into the Work-Charged Establishment to which the Muster Roll employees converted shall be issued separately. In the Annexure – I of the said order, the name of the husband of the petitioner appeared at Sl. No. 56.

[6] Subsequently, the Chief Engineer (Power), Government of Manipur, issued another Office Order No. 620 dated 07-11-1991 converting the service of 189 Muster Roll workers of Electricity Department, Manipur into Work-Charged establishment w.e.f. 23-10-1991 to the post and scale of pay mentioned against their names in the Annexure – A enclosed to the said order. In the said Annexure – A, the name of the husband of the present petitioner is at Sl. No. 12 (Chowkidar). Later on, on 26-08-1997, the Chief Engineer (Power), Government of Manipur, issued a Corrigendum for replacing the words as “absorbed into regular workcharged” in place of the words “converted into workcharged” appearing in the 5^th line of the earlier Office Order No. 620 dated 07-11-1991. It is also mentioned