CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed collector of Kendrapara Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas to comply within one more month its November 15, 2023 order regarding payment of family pension to Hara Sahoo, a 91-year-old widow, whose husband, a school teacher, died 46 years back.
The widow, who now stays with her son, daughter-in-law, three grandsons and two granddaughters at Palei Derakundi in Kendrapara district had filed a contempt petition through advocate Ganeswar Behera as the high court order had not been complied with.
The single judge bench of Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy on Friday said, “This contempt petition is disposed of by granting one-month further time to the contemnor to comply the order passed on November 15, 2023. However, if the order is not complied with within the extended time, it will be held as deliberate violation of this court’s order.”
The high court had directed the collector of Kendrapara on November 15, 2023 to take consequential action for sanction of family pension in favour of Hara Sahoo whose husband expired on August 26, 1977, as due and admissible from the date of entitlement and release the same along with arrear family pension within a period of two months from the date of receipt of order.
As per the case records, the widow had filed several representations for family pension before School & Mass Education department authorities in Kendrapara district since 1991, but in vain. The district collector rejected her representation for consideration of her family pension, gratuity, and other service benefits on August 21, 2023.
Left with no alternative, the widow filed a petition in the high court on October 19, 2023. The state authorities had taken the stand that the case was not eligible for family pension as the scheme was introduced in 1980-81. However, the high court had quashed the order of Kendrapara collector and granted the relief to the widow on considering the fact that though Benudhar died in 1977, in normal course, he would have retired in the year 1983.