Maharashtra: 1971 war hero close to securing rightful benefits after 47 years

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday expressed shock over the ‘attitude and approach’ of the Maharashtra government towards a war hero, who sustained severe injuries during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The court has accordingly pulled up the government as well as the district collector and directed them to extend all benefits to the war hero, as promised under a Government Resolution (GR) issued in 1971.

Shockingly, the war hero Hindurao Ingale (70) was constrained to run from pillar to post to secure his benefits for nearly 47 years; but finally, on Tuesday, his efforts yielded some results. A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla not only asked the authorities to extend all the benefits to Ingale as per the GR, but also imposed a cost of Rs 50, 000 on the government, which they said must be paid to Ingale. In its GR, the then Maharashtra government had promised to allot lands – for agricultural as well as residential purposes — to all the army personnel, who sustain injuries while in service.

Relying on this GR, Hindurao Ingale (70), who was the driver of a special vehicle in the ‘216 Medium Regiment,’ wrote several letters to the  authorities in Maharashtra as well as in Delhi, post his retirement in 1975. In his letters, Ingale sought the benefits as promised in the GR and even referred to his injuries, which he sustained during the war. He claimed the injuries had aggravated and resulted in a bone infection leading to permanent disability in one of his legs. However, all his efforts went in vain; finally, in 2015, Ingale, who was not even aware that he could approach a court of law in the matter, moved the High Court through his advocate Rajeshwar Panchal.

Having heard all the parties, Justice Oka said, “It is shocking and unfortunate to see that an ex-army personnel was compelled to run from pillar to post to claim benefits he was entitled to. We also think the approach of the district army welfare officer was shocking. Instead, he should have been sympathetic and positive to a former army officer.”

“The district army welfare officer misread the GR totally. He had no business to ascertain if Ingale’s injuries aggravated during his tenure in service. The district officer and the collector should not have rejected his application merely on the ground that Ingale had not won a gallantry award,” Justice Oka added. The judges, accordingly, granted three months’ time to the government to extend all benefits, including a plot of land, to Ingale. The judges have also directed the government to pay a cost of Rs 50, 000 to Ingale within  one month.