HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE ASHUTOSH MOHUNTA WRIT PETITION No.823 of 2008 Date: November 29, 2010 Between: 1. Kondam Krishna Reddy & 153 others. … Petitioners and 1. Union of India, rep. by Secretary, Home Department, New Delhi and another. … Respondents * * * HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE ASHUTOSH MOHUNTA WRIT PETITION No.823 of 2008 ORDER: The petitioners, who are154 in number in this writ petition, have prayed for grant of freedom fighters pension under the Swathantra Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, 1980 formulated by the Central Government. 2. The counsel for the petitioners submits that applications for grant of freedom fighters pension have been sent to the Central Government, but the same are not being looked into on the ground that the petitioners ought to have filed these applications claiming freedom fighters pension before the State Government. The counsel for the petitioners submits that it is for the Central Government to send the applications to the State Government for verification who would in turn send them back to the Central Government for disbursal of the pension. 3. The stand of the counsel for the petitioner has been vehemently controverted by the counsel appearing on behalf of the Central Government who states that the applications ought to have been filed straight away before the State Government who would send the same after verification to the Central Government. The counsel for the State Government also submits that in case the applications are submitted to the State Government then the same shall be verified and processed as expeditiously as possible and report in this regard would be sent to the Central Government. 4. Keeping in view the fact that all the petitioners are more than 75 years of age therefore without going into the procedural aspect, I direct that the petitioners may submit their applications for claiming freedom fighters pension to the State Government within a period of ten days from today. Even if the petitioners send a copy of the applications, which was sent to the Central Government, the same shall be considered as correct and no objections in this regard shall be raised by the State Government. The case of each of the petitioners shall be verified and considered by the State Government within a period of one month from the date of receipt of the applications (which were sent to the Central Government) and report in this regard shall be sent to the Central Government within a period of two weeks thereafter. The Central Government, on receipt of the report sent by the second respondent, shall thereafter process all the cases within a period of two months thereafter. 5. The writ petition stands disposed of with the afore mentioned directions. This order has been passed in concurrence with the counsel of all the parties. No costs. __________________________ ASHUTOSH MOHUNTA, J Date: November 29, 2010. BSB