HC imposes fine on State for non-payment of pension to freedom fighter

The High Court of Uttarakhand has imposed a fine of Rs3.5 lakh on the State Government for its failure to provide pension and other facilities to the late freedom fighter Sateshwar Sharma during his lifetime. The single bench of of justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari has also directed the Government to pay the total pension amount from 1981 to the present to his widow within one month. The court has also issued notices to the chief secretary and the Dehradun District Magistrate for not following orders issued by the court in this regard in the past.

Sharma’s widow, Dehradun resident Rajeshwari Sharma had filed a contempt petition in the high court. She had stated that her husband had played an active role in the Quit India Movement during 1942. He was an inter-student during that time and had also been jailed for 40 days. Due to this, he had also been removed from inter-college. The petition states that he had applied for pension and other facilities under the 1975 pension regulations but the Government did not act on this. Requests were made to the state authorities and the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in vain.

He expired last year at the age of 100 years. Considering this case to be serious, the high court imposed a fine on the State Government and directed it to pay the due pension from 1981 to the present to his widow within one month.