ANCHI DEVI Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This writ petition has been preferred under Article 226 of the Constitution of India claiming the following reliefs:

(2.) As per the pleaded facts, the present petitioner, was the wife of Late Shri. Bhanu Lal who had retired from the post of Pump Driver-II, working in the office of respondent no.3, in the year 2001 and a P.P.O. bearing No. 433195 was issued on 26/3/2002 in his favour; simultaneously a Form-A with regard to nominee was also issued on the same date. Prior to the deceased's marriage with the petitioner, the deceased had been married to one Late Smt. Puni Devi, whose name had been recorded in the service records as nominee; however after Smt. Puni Devi had expired, Late Shri. Bhanu Lal had married the present petitioner; an application was moved to change the name of the nominee whereafter the respondent no.3 entered the name of the petitioner in the Form No. A, but no changes were reflected in the PPO.

(3.) Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the family pension is made in lieu of long, faithful and dedicated services rendered by an employee and is obligatory on part of the respondents to grant the same to the dependents of the deceased employee, and thus, the action of the respondents in not granting the family pension to the petitioner without any cogent and justifiable reason was discriminatory and not justified in law.