War hero’s wife battles with 2 states to get her pension

In a what can be a shame for the governments of two different states, a senior citizen was compelled to run from pillar-to-post for decades together, only to get her “right.” The 80-year-old woman who was stuck in the “blame-game” between the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka (Defence departments), has finally got her right pension.

It has been a long battle for the widow Tulsabai, whose husband, Ganpati Suryavanshi, was a sepoy in World War II. got her first pension only in May 2018 after several decades. She had appealed fpr the right of pension under the scheme of pension, Widow of World War II Veterans.

Shockingly, Tulsabai was made to go running from pillar-to-post for a meagre amount of Rs 3000. The Maharashtra government had launched its pension scheme in 1990, while the Karnataka government in 1993. The Maharashtra government’s scheme was only for ex-servicemen who have been residing in the state for a period of 15 years or more after retirement are eligible for the pension scheme.

On the other hand, the Karnataka government’s scheme states that the exservicemen should be born and raised in Karnataka, joined forces from the State of Karnataka and subsequently after release from forces s/he should be residing in the same State.

According to advocate Dhairyasheel Sutar, who represents Tulsabai, her case falls as an exception. He states that her husband had enrolled in the Indian Army in 1943 and served in the World War II. Her husband was discharged from his duties in 1947 and he expired subsequently in 1985 in Karnataka. After her husband’s death, she along with her children had moved to Maharashtra in 1990.

Advocate Sutar said that his client was eligible for a pension, but unfortunately she was deprived of her rights, since both the states passed the buck onto each other.

With no respite in sight, Tulsabai petitioned the Bombay High Court last year and her case was then extensively heard by a bench headed by Justice Anoop Mohta. The bench had then directed the governments to resolve the issue and grant pension to Tulsabai.

“We had received orders in our favour last year itself but there was some issues pertaining to my client’s date of birth. The issue was resolved after a civil court in Karnataka declared her date of birth. Further, there was an issue of trying to get her the domicile, which we received only recently,” Sutar said.