THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE RAMESH RANGANATHAN WRIT PETITION No.28832 of 2011 ORDER: The relief sought for in this Writ Petition is for a direction to the respondents to issue a family membership certificate to the petitioner to get pension, and to set aside the proceedings of the second respondent dated 30.09.2011, as being illegal and arbitrary. When the matter was listed on 08.11.2011, Learned Government Pleader for Revenue (Andhra and Rayalaseema Areas) was asked to inform the Court the law which governs issuance of family membership certificate. Today the Learned Government Pleader would submit that, while there are no statutory provisions governing grant of family membership certificate, the government had issued a memo dated 25.10.2010 clarifying that the Mandal Revenue Officer could only give family membership certificates in respect of government employees to receive dues from the government, if any, in case of his/her death. The petitioner herein claims to be the widow of a government employee, and seeks family membership certificate to receive pension from the government; and her request appears to accord with the conditions stipulated in the government memo dated 25.10.2010. Learned Government Pleader for Revenue (Andhra and Rayalaseema Areas) would, however, draw attention of this Court to the proceedings hitherto filed by the petitioner before the Civil Court for grant of compensation which ended in the matter being settled before the Lok Adalath, on a direction being given to the petitioner’ husband to pay her monthly compensation of Rs.700/-. Learned Government Pleader would submit that, since it is not known whether the petitioner is the wife of late Sri Rajaratnam and whether the marriage had been dissolved between the petitioner and late Sri Rajaratnam, they are in no position to grant family membership certificate to the petitioner. Sri S.Kasi Viswanatham, Learned Counsel for the petitioner, would submit that the petitioner was ready and willing to submit an affidavit to respondent Nos.1 and 2 to the effect that the petitioner is the legally wedded wife of late Sri Rajaratnam; she is not his second wife; their marriage subsisted even till the death of late Sri Rajaratnam, and was not dissolved; the particulars of the class-I heirs of late Sri Rajaratnam; and whether she, or anyone else, is entitled for the pension payable on the death of late Sri Rajaratnam. In case the petitioner files an affidavit within a period of three weeks from today, respondent Nos.1 and 2 shall cause an enquiry into the contents of the affidavit, and take action in accordance with law including the government memo dated 25.10.2010, within a period of three months from the date of receipt of the affidavit. The Writ Petition stands disposed of accordingly. However, in the circumstances, without costs. RAMESH RANGANATHAN,J Date:09.11.2011 usd