CUTTACK: In a bid to give justice to an 83-year-old woman, the Orissa High Court has directed the State government to pay her the arrear salary and pensionary entitlements of her late husband, who had retired as a school teacher 35 years ago.
Prafulla Mohanty, who had retired in 1986, had moved the HC in 1999 for his salary arrears and pensionary entitlements. The court on November 11, 2004 directed that his pay shall be fixed and pension calculated on the basis of the last pay drawn with all consequential benefits within a period of six months from the date of communication of the order.
While the order was not implemented, Prafulla died in 2010. His wife Minalata Mohanty had earlier this year filed a petition seeking intervention for implementation of the court order. The court allowed her petition on July 23. The single-judge bench of Biswanath Rath said, “Looking to the cause title, this court finds the petitioner also 83 years old in the meantime. She has lost her husband and there should not be any further delay in release of entitlements through the judgment on November 11, 2004 at least to see the lady spends her last part of life with peace”.
“The entire exercise shall be completed within a period of three weeks considering that there is inordinate delay of implementation of High Court’s judgment by nearly two decades”, Justice Rath added.