High Court · 2009

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRASDATED: 23.6.2009CORAMTHE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE R.SUDHAKARWrit Petition Nos.26181 to 26183 of 2007 and 488, 520, 523, 701, 705,3101, 3108, 3314, 4053, 4128, 4146, 4163, 10726, 10858, 10859,11756, 17717, 18068 and 26652 of 2008 and 6495 and 8276 of 2009 andM.P.No.2 of 2007 in W.P.No.26181 of 2007M.P.No.2 of 2007 in W.P.No.26182 of 2007M.P.No.2 of 2007 in W.P.No.26183 of 2007 M.P.No.1 of 2008 in W.P.No.3314 of 2008M.P.No.1 of 2008 in W.P.No.4053 of 2008M.P.No.1 of 2008 in W.P.No.4128 of 2008M.P.No.1 of 2008 in W.P.No.4146 of 2008 andM.P.No.1 of 2008 in W.P.No.4163 of 2008,Tmt.Komala W/o.Late M.Ganapathy... Petitioner in W.P.No.26181/07R.RoseW/o.T.B.Ranganathan(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.26182/07M.S.DurgabaiW/o.A.V.Jagannathan... Petitioner in W.P.No.26183/07KuppammalW/o.R.Lakshmanan... Petitioner in W.P.No.488/08SenthamaraiW/o.C.Kesavan... Petitioner in W.P.No.520/08P.ChummukuttyW/o.Narayana Nai... Petitioner in W.P.No.523/08ThulasibaiW/o.V.Srinivasan... Petitioner in W.P.No.701/08Kamala GanapathyW/o.K.V.Ganapathy... Petitioner in W.P.No.705/08Pushpavathi AmmalW/o.K.Subramaniam... Petitioner in W.P.No.3101/08VimalarajanW/o.K.S.Rajan... Petitioner in W.P.No.3108/08 https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/hcservices/ S.VasanthaW/o.S.S.Moorthy(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.3314/08IndiraniW/o.Viswanathan... Petitioner in W.P.No.4053/08S.SarojaW/o.R.Subu Raman(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.4128/08A.RajalakshmiW/o. K.Arumugam(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.4146/08B.JayamaniW/o. P.Baluswamy(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.4163/08A.NarayaniW/o.Adikesavalu... Petitioner in W.P.No.10726/08R.Lakshmi AmmalW/o. G.Mahadevan(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.10858/08G.GowriW/o.K.Govindasamy(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.10859/08K.P.SankariW/o.I.S.Menon... Petitioner in W.P.No.11756/08P.SarojiniW/o.V.Padmanabhan(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.11717/08A.UthiramaryW/o. A.Anandaraj... Petitioner in W.P.No.18068/08M.BagavathiW/o.N.Raju(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.26652/08S.JayalakshmiW/o. P.Sarangan(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.6495/09N.SagunthalaW/o. D.Narasimhan(late)... Petitioner in W.P.No.8276/09 vs.The Secretary to Government,Transport Department,Secretariat,Chennai-9. ... Respondent in all WPs. https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/hcservices/ Writ Petition No.26181 of 2007 is filed under Article 226 of theConstitution of India to issue a Writ of Certiorarified Mandamuscalling for the records relating to the order of the Respondent inG.O.Ms.No.110, Transport Department dated 6.6.2002 and to quash thesame condition in para-10 as arbitrary and illegal and to direct therespondent to pay the family pension to the petitioner with effectfrom 10.4.1996, 21.1.89, 25.2.93, 23.4.91, 16.6.92,02.3.94, 28.10.94,19.5.99, 09.11.97, 21.6.95, 14.4.91, 22.5.98, 06.5.94,9.8.92,24.9.94,4.8.94,31.10.89,17.5.91, 9.12.95, 23.9.93, 02.4.86, 06.9.90, 29.3.92,and 23.8.96 respectively the date following the date of death of herhusband.W.P.No.26181 of 2007:-For Petitioner : Mr.AR.L.Sundaresan, Senior Counsel for M.A.R.Pragash For Respondent : Mr.L.S.M.Hasan Fizal, Additional Government PleaderCOMMON ORDER All the above Writ Petitions are filed praying to issue aWrit of Certiorarified Mandamus calling for the records relating tothe G.O.Ms.No.110, Transport Department dated 6.6.2002 and to quashthe condition in para-10 as arbitrary and illegal and to direct therespondent to pay family pension to the petitioners with effect fromthe date following the date of death of the employee.2. All the above writ petitions have been filed seeking samerelief, and therefore, are taken together and disposed of by thiscommon order. 3. Petitioners in these cases claim benefit of family pensionon or from the date of death of the pensioner/employee. However,such relief is denied partly in paragraph 10 of the G.O.Ms.No.110,Transport Department dated 6.6.2002, which reads as follows:-"10. This order shall take effect from 7-3-2001, the date of the Judgment of the Highcourt, Madras (OR) the date of the death of theeligible pensioner whichever is later."In terms of Rule 76 of the Tamil Nadu Pension Rules, 1978, petitionerseeks family pension immediately from the date of the death of theemployee. In the G.O.No.110, at para 10, the relevant date is thedate of death of the pensioner or 7.3.2001 (i.e.), the date ofjudgment of the learned single Judge, whichever is later. In effectthe petitioner in this case will lose family pension from the date ofdeath of the pensioner till 7.3.2001. https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/hcservices/

4. The learned Additional Government Pleader appearing for therespondent contended that the family pension under G.O.Ms.No.110,Transport Department dated 6.6.2002 will be from the date of thejudgment of this court in W.P.No.21204 of 1992 or from the date ofdeath of the employee which ever is later, as the entitlement tofamily pension is on the basis of the order of the learned singleJudge.5. In the present cases, the employees died before the judgmentof this court was rendered. The claim for family pension is as perthe Tamil Nadu Pension Rules, 1978 and it takes effect on the deathof the pensioners. In this regard the following decisions arerelevant:-(i) State of Tamil Nadu and others – vs.-V.S.Balakrishnan andothers reported in 1994 Supplementary SCC 204 and(ii) Unreported decision of this court dated 7.3.2001 Tamil NaduState Transport and Transport Corporation Retired EmployeesAssociation represented by its General Secretary R.Govindaraj -vs. - State of Tamil Nadu, represented by the Secretary toGovernment Finance Department, Madras and 8 others (W.P.No.21204of 1992). 6. The said G.O.Ms.No.110 Transport Department dated 6.6.2002was considered by this court in W.P.No.482 of 2008 and para 10 ofthe said G.O. was set aside. The family pension was extended to thepetitioner in that case from the date of death of the employee andnot from the date 7.3.2001. Respondent was directed to grant familypension from the date of death of the employee. The relevant portionof the order reads as follows:-"12. In such view of the matter, clause-10 ofthe G.O.Ms.No.110, Transport Department, dated06.06.2002 in so far as it fixes the effectivedate as 07.03.2001 is set aside. The petitionerin this case will be entitled to family pensionunder the Tamil Nadu Pension Rules, 1978, from thedate following the date of death of the pensioner/employee, viz., 28.10.1994 and not from the dateas specified in para 10 of the G.O.Ms.No.110Transport Department dated 6.6.2002. If anyapplication is required, petitioner shall submitthe same within four weeks from the date ofreceipt of a copy of this order. Thereafter, therespondent shall pass appropriate orders in termsof the order of this court for family pensionwithin a period of four weeks from the date ofsuch application. This writ petition isallowed. No costs." https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/hcservices/

7. Following the earlier decision of this Court in W.P.No.482of 2008, wherein Para 10 of the G.O.Ms.No.110 Transport Departmentdated 6.6.2002 has been set aside, the petitioners in these caseswill be entitled to the same relief. Accordingly, the petitionersin these cases will be entitled to family pension under the TamilNadu Pension Rules, 1978, from the date following the date of deathof the pensioners/employees, and not from the date as specified inpara 10 of the G.O.Ms.No.110 Transport Department dated 6.6.2002. Ifany application is required, petitioners shall submit the same withinfour weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.Thereafter, the respondent shall pass appropriate orders in terms ofthe order of this court granting family pension within a period offour weeks from the date of such application. All the above writpetitions are allowed. No costs. Consequently, connectedmiscellaneous petitions are closed. Sd/- Asst.Registrar/True Copy/ Sub.Asst.RegistrartsTo The Secretary to Government,Transport Department,Secretariat,Chennai-9.+ 1 cc to Government Pleader,SR.25784 to 25796 25740,25775,25780,25899,25902,25482+ 1 cc to Mr.C.Manohar,Advocate,SR.25482W.P.No.26181 of 2007 etc.,CK(CO)EM/30.7.09