SAHANA SHOME MONDAL Vs. STATE OF WEST BENGAL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) A legal tussle has spiralled up to this Court seeking a quietus to the issue as to whether a widowed daughter of a lecturer and/or teaching staff of a Non-Government College is entitled to get benefits of family pension.

(2.) To trace out the genesis of the lis, it would be profitable to advert to the facts adumbrated in the writ petition. The petitioner's mother, namely, Minati Shome (in short, Mrs. Shome), since deceased, happened to be a lecturer of South Calcutta Girls' College (in short, the college), a Non-Government College. After rendering service for more than 37 (thirty-seven) years in the college she attained the age of superannuation in 1991 but her service tenure was extended till 1996 and hence, she started drawing pension from 1996 and onwards.

(3.) The petitioner being the only daughter of Mrs. Shome knotted nuptial tie with one Ranajit Mondal but Mr. Mondal breathed his last on 20/4/2000. Following untimely demise of her husband, who was the sole bread-earner of her family, the petitioner was constrained to take shelter in her parents' house for her survival. The petitioner's father, Subodh Kumar Shome left for his heavenly abode on 7/12/2004 and on 7/7/2019, the ill-fated petitioner lost her mother, Mrs. Shome. Consequently, the disbursement of pension in favour of Mrs. Shome was stopped.