High court says wife eligible for family pension even if she murders husband

Mangalore Today News Network

Chandigarh, Feb 01, 2021:     In an unusual judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently said that the wife would be eligible for family pension even if she murders her husband.

 

"Nobody butchers the hen giving golden eggs. The wife cannot be deprived of the family pension even if she murders her husband. Family pension is a welfare scheme that was launched to provide financial help to the family in the event of a government employee’s death. Wife is entitled to family pension even if she is convicted in a criminal case," the court observed while hearing a Haryana case on January 25.

The decision came during the hearing of a petition filed by one Baljeet Kaur of Ambala who told the court that her husband Tarsem Singh was a Haryana government employee who passed away in 2008. In 2009, she was booked for or a murder and was later convicted in 2011.

Baljeet Kaur was getting the family pension till 2011 but the Haryana government stopped the pension immediately after her conviction.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court while setting aside the Haryana government order has directed the concerned department to release the petitioner’s family pension within two months along with the pending dues.

The wife is entitled to a family pension under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 after her husband’s death. The widow of a government servant is also eligible to receive the family pension even after remarriage.

Courtesy:India Today