MAMMEN Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioner is a freedom fighter who is now in the late seventies. This Original Petition stems from a letter written by the petitioner which this Court accepted as an Original Petition filed under art. 226 of the Constitution of India. According to the petitioner, even while he was a student he actively participated in the Freedom Struggle. He was arrested in 1938. After release from the jail he was not allowed to study in the erstwhile Travancore. He continued Ms educational Trichur and in Madras. For taking part in me "freedom Stogie, in. the Quit India Movement of 1942, he was dismissed from the College. THEreafter he came back to his native State and continued his light against the foreign rule and the then Divan of Travancore. He was again arrested in 1947 and he was released from jail only after the independence. In 1972, he was awarded 'thamrapathra' by the Government of india. He is also being given the Freedom Fighters Pension by the State government. But he was not granted Freedom Fighters Pension from the Central government.

(2.) THE press reports which the petitioner enclosed along with his letter show that he is still active as a true Gandhi an in various movements against human rights violation and civil liberties. He is also a staunch supporter of prohibition. Thus, it can be seen that the petitioner is a beacon light in the present society which had already forgotten the ideals of gandhiji. When innumerable persons (both deserved and undeserved) are getting freedom Fighters Pension, if at all, there is any one who must really be given pension, I have no doubt that it is the petitioner. Perhaps he never clamored for getting pension from the Central Government because he never thought that active participation in the freedom movement was intended as a bargaining for a price.