After 50 years, wife of soldier granted pension, benefits

CHENNAI: More than 50 years after an Army man was discharged from service, the Chennai bench of the

Armed Forces Tribunal

has provided pension and other benefits to his 92-year-old widow.

According to

C Gajalakshmi of Mudichur

, her husband, late

M Chitti Babu

, served the

Indian artillery reinforcement

battery from September 1942 to March 1946 and the Army from August 1951 to August 1966. He completed more than the requisite service for grant of

territorial pension

. But, after Babu's death in 1991, she did not receive the family pension. So she moved the tribunal.

In its reply, the Army said Babu, after being discharged, was provided gratuity for serving around 14 years. But his earlier service in the Army was not considered for calculating the total service period.

A bench of Justice

S S Satheesachandran

and administrative member K Surendranath said Babu served for more than 18 years.

At the time of his discharge, the Army did not have provisions for regular pensionary benefits to people retired/discharged from service and he was paid service gratuity.

It was only on June 11, 1985,that the Centre issued an order providing pensionary benefits with retrospective effect, to the territorial Army personnel who had served for at least 15 years. According to the rules, Babu was entitled to service pension for service for more than 18 years. "The applicant's husband had expired on February 2, 1991, without claiming his pensionary benefits; despite being entitled. Consequent to his death, the applicant is eligible for grant of family pension," said the bench.

As she was the dependent of an ex-serviceman, Gajalakshmi was also entitled to other benefits, including Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and Canteen Stores Department (CSD), the tribunal bench said.