IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Civil Writ Petition No.18621 of 2010 (O&M) Date of decision:11.07.2011 Jarnail Singh ...Petitioner versus The State of Punjab and another ....Respondents CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE K. KANNAN ---- Present: Mr. A.K.Walia, Advocate, for the petitioner. Mr. Arvind Mittal, Additional Advocate General, Punjab. Ms. Ranjana Sahi, Advocate, for respondent No.2. ---- 1. Whether reporters of local papers may be allowed to see the judgment ? Yes. 2. To be referred to the reporters or not ? Yes. 3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the digest ? Yes. ---- K.Kannan, J. (Oral) 1. The petitioner's grievance is that in spite of the recommendation from the State Government for grant of freedom fighter's pension under Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme after verifying with the credentials of the petitioner's claim as a freedom fighter and as one who has suffered imprisonment to become eligible for the claim under the scheme, the Union Government has not taken its decision. I find that the recommendation from the State has gone as early as on 06.03.1995 and it is a pity that the Union is allowing the letter of recommendation to gather dust. A claim for pension and more Civil Writ Petition No.18621 of 2010 (O&M) - 2 - particularly from a person claiming to be a freedom fighter shall be attended with all the alacrity that the situation demands. Payment of pension to a freedom fighter is not a State largesse. It is another method of redeeming our own sense of gratitude for what the freedom fighters did for the country. No stone shall remain unturned without securing to a freedom fighter what the society owes to them. There have been any amount of lofty expressions that have come from portals of Courts; there have been high volume speeches that would fall from the ramparts of red fort on republic days and independence days, waxing eloquent about the sacrifices of the freedom fighters but if they do not get translated in terms of money to the freedom fighter, it is a sad day for the creditability of public utterances. The annual reminders of the freedom that we have earned through the Independence day or Republic day celebrations shall also be the days of reminder of extraordinary sufferings undergone by freedom fighters. This is not meant to be mere pontification but expression exhorting the administration to unshackle from bureaucratic inertia. 2. There shall accordingly be a direction through a mandamus issued by this order that the 2nd respondent considers forthwith the representation given by the petitioner in the year 1995 and examine his plea for pension in the light of recommendation of the State and the documents submitted already. The Union shall lose no further time by engaging in lengthy paper communications and futile exchanges to subvert what the petitioner would deserve if his status as claimed is true. The decision shall be taken and communicated to the petitioner within 4 Civil Writ Petition No.18621 of 2010 (O&M) - 3 - weeks from the date of receipt of the copy of the order with copy of representation dated 06.03.1995 and if a decision were to accede to the petitioner's status, the amount shall be paid with all the arrears within 12 weeks from the date of the decision. 3. The writ petition is disposed of as above. (K. KANNAN) JUDGE 11.07.2011 sanjeev