Second Wife Entitled to Full Family Pension if She Is Sole Eligible Claimant, Punjab and Haryana High Court Rules
Second Wife Entitled to Full Family Pension if She Is Sole Eligible Claimant, Punjab and Haryana High Court Rules
Chandigarh, June 16: In a significant ruling, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that a second wife cannot be denied full family pension if she is the only surviving and eligible claimant of a deceased government employee.
The court rejected the argument that the woman should receive only half of the pension because she was the employee's second wife. It observed that once no other beneficiary remains eligible, the entire family pension must be paid to the sole claimant.
The judgment came while hearing a case involving a deceased government employee whose second wife had sought complete pension benefits after becoming the only eligible family member.
The High Court ruled that the authorities cannot withhold or retain any portion of the family pension merely on administrative grounds when there are no other qualified beneficiaries. The decision reinforces the principle that pension benefits should reach the rightful claimant in accordance with eligibility rules.
The ruling is expected to provide clarity in similar pension disputes involving multiple family claimants and succession issues.
[second wife family pension, Punjab and Haryana High Court, family pension rules India, government employee pension, pension legal news, widow pension rights]
#PunjabAndHaryanaHighCourt #FamilyPension #LegalNews #PensionRules #IndiaNews #WidowRights
