Madurai: The Madras High Court has ruled that getting State Freedom Fighers’ Pension (SFFP) would not automatically entitle a person to Swatantra Sainik Samman Central Pension (SSSCP).
Dismissing a petition filed by R Lakshmi, wife of a freedom fighter, Justice S Vaidhyanathan of the Madurai bench said, “The question of automatic extension of SSSCP on the ground that the husband of the petitioner was getting SFFP, would be putting a premium and opening a pandora’s box of similar claim by others”.
Though courts would come to the rescue of freedom fighters and their families in granting pension, in this case the petitioner had not substantiated her case by producing any material documents, much less recommendation by the state government to the Centre for grant of central Government Pension to her husband, the judge said.
Besides, the Indian National Army(INA) form produced by her was only a self declaration which contained the history of INA personnel.
The petitioner had claimed her husband was a freedom fighter getting state pension. He made a claim for SSSCP from July 20, 1972 till his death on Nov 23, 2008. He did not get it.
Hence she prayed for a direction from the court to give SSSCP from 1972 to November 2008, which her husband would have got had he been alive, with 9 per cent interest, and also family pension from 2008 onwards.
