V. RAMAN Vs. UNION TERRITORY OF PUDUCHERRY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The order of rejection dtd. 1/7/2011, rejecting the claim of the writ petitioner for grant of Freedom Fighters Pension under Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension (SSS) is under challenge in the present writ petition.

(2.) The petitioner at the time of filing of the writ petition was aged about 82 years and now he would be around 92 years. The petitioner states that he was a Freedom Fighter and fought for the liberation of Puducherry from the French Regime during the period from 1947 to 1954 as an employee of the "Sudanthiram Printing Press", which was a revolutionary weekly journal, promoting the cause of freedom.

(3.) The learned counsel for the petitioner states that the petitioner submitted an application along with all relevant documents to grant freedom fighters pension under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension (SSS) implemented by the Government of India. The petitioner's application was rejected and hence the petitioner filed W.P.No.15252 of 2008 seeking direction to the respondents to grant Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension (SSS) and State Freedom Fighter Pension to the petitioner. This Court passed final orders on 2/2/2010 directing the authorities to consider the recommendations of the Government of Puducherry and pass appropriate orders. The State Government also sent its remarks to the Central Government. Again the respondents passed the impugned order in proceedings dtd. 3/5/2010, rejecting the claim of the writ petitioner on the following grounds: