Supreme Court grants widow of Shaurya Chakra hero ₹10 lakh pension

Who it concerns: Petitioner: Kuldeep Kaur; Respondents: Union of India & Ors.; Bench: Justice K.V. Viswanathan and Justice Arun Palli.

What the court decided

• The Court granted leave to appeal.
• The Court agreed with the High Court's categorization of the deceased under Category 'C' of the CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 1939.
• The Court extended the benefit of the pension from the date of the husband's death (12 July 2000), overriding the previous limitation to three years prior to the writ petition filing.
• The Court directed the Union of India to release a consolidated amount of Rs. 10,00,000/- to the appellant for the period from 13 July 2000 to 12 July 2015.
• The Union of India was ordered to release this amount within four weeks from the date of the order.
• The impugned order of the High Court was modified to reflect these changes.

Also in the document

• The Court exercised its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution of India to grant this relief based on the peculiar facts of the case.
• The Court noted that the deceased was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra, the country's third highest peacetime gallantry award.
• The Court expressed appreciation for the prompt response and calculations provided by the Attorney General for India.
• The final amount of Rs. 10,00,000/- was determined after considering the figures suggested by the Attorney General, the interest rates, and the fact that the appellant had already returned the principal amount received under the Workmen’s Compensation Act.