The Kerala High Court on December 21 (Thursday) criticised the State government for not paying the arrears of widow pension due to 78-year-old Mariyakuty even as the government is able to garner resources to pay for various other purposes.
Justice Devan Ramachandran observed that on the one side, the Kerala Government was able to garner resources and spend money on various other things, while on the other, there is a person who says she has nothing else to live on.
The court also asked whether the government had stopped any festivities on account of the financial crisis faced by it. The court said the government must certainly prioritise the requirement of money and must give good thought to it because a senior citizen such as the petitioner is certainly a very important person (VIP) whose requirement cannot be disregarded, particularly when the season of Christmas has dawned.
Government stance
When the petition filed by Mariyakutty came up for hearing, the government pleader submitted that it was in “extreme financial crisis” and was unable to garner resources to pay the petitioner and similar persons. Therefore, the government was able to release the pension only till the month of August and that the Centre’s share for the pension from April to August had not been received as yet, adding to the government’s financial burden.
The court further observed that it could not lose sight of the fact that the petitioner is a 78-year-old woman who asserts that she survives solely on the meagre pension of ₹1,600 a month. Even if the financial crisis faced by the State government is accepted, a larger question is how the petitioner can survive without pension.
The court said it hoped that the government will keep in mind that this is the Christmas season when communities are in festivities, and it would be rather unfortunate if persons such as the petitioner, who is in an advanced age and requiring medical aid, is left without any moorings and support.
The court directed the State Government to inform the court the time within which the arrears of widow pension could paid to the petitioner.
The court also asked senior Central Government counsel R.V. Sreejith to reply to the submission made by the government pleader regarding the delay in releasing the Centre’s share.
