A city-based centenarian had to knock on the doors of the Karnataka High Court during the COVID-19 pandemic as the State government sat over for three months on the Central government’s request for a life certificate to release his Swatantra Sainik Samman pension.
The Central government stopped payment of pension to petitioner H. Nagabhushana Rao, 100, a resident of Malleswaram, for non-submission of life certificate as per the law.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on March 4, 2020, wrote to the State government pointing out that the petitioner’s pension was ‘deemed cancelled’ for non-submission of life certificate, and requested to conduct an enquiry and furnish a verification report whether petitioner is alive.
As the State did not act on the Centre’s request till June, Mr. Rao moved the High Court on June 4 seeking a direction to the State to send verification report to the Centre to enable him to receive pension.
Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar, before whom the petition came up for hearing on June 22, had asked the State to act swiftly. On June 23, the State sent a report to the Centre along with the living certificate of the petitioner.
As the State has forwarded the certificate to the Centre, the court disposed of the petition while directing the Centre to take necessary steps to restore the pension within two weeks from June 24.
