The Madras High Court Bench here has come to the rescue of a 74-year-old former sportsperson who had been pleading for grant of monthly pension under a scheme for outstanding athletes living in indigent conditions ever since he got afflicted with leprosy.
Disposing of a writ petition filed by him last year, Justice T.S. Sivagnanam directed the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) to intimate the petitioner within six weeks the government’s decision on an application filed by him to grant pension on the basis of a 2011-Government Order. The judge pointed out that the petitioner, A. Sundarapandian of Ramanathapuram district, had claimed to have participated in several pole vault events at the district, State and national levels and had won many prizes thereby bringing laurels to the State. Since he was suffering from leprosy, his fingers and toes had been severely crippled, and on account of his disability he was unable to walk. Hence, he made an application to Ramanathapuram District Sports Officer seeking pension.
The application was made on the basis of a Government Order passed by the Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department on December 21, 2011, for granting pension to former eminent sportspersons living in indigent circumstances.
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However, there was no positive reply and hence he filed the writ petition. When the matter came up for hearing last year, a government counsel submitted in the court written instructions given to him by the DSO stating that the petitioner’s plea was under consideration.
The instructions stated that his application had been placed before a high-power committee meeting held on August 6, 2013, chaired by the Principal Secretary to the Government, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department. “The written instructions were given to the learned Additional Government Pleader on September 4, 2013, and even after one year, the decision has not been intimated to the petitioner,” the judge said and directed the Member Secretary of SDAT to act fast.