The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday directed the State to frame criteria, such as minimum prison term, death during custody, death due to police firing, for the purpose of disbursal of pension to the people, who participated in the movement for creation of ‘Punjabi Suba’.
Putting a bar on the disbursement of pension to the beneficiaries, registered on the basis of identification by the MPs, MlAs and Sarpanches etc. till the next date of hearing, the Division Bench of Justice SS Saron and Justice Gurmit Ram observed that the process of identifying the beneficiaries was likely to be misused.
The directions of the High Court came on a petition, filed in public interest by advocate HC Arora. In the petition, the petitioner had raised an objection on the amendment in the process of identification of beneficiaries for the pension for participants of ‘Punjabi Suba’ movement. The petitioner told the court that in the original scheme, the committees led by Deputy Commissioners were entitled to decide claims for the pension for the participants of the movement.The decisions of the committees were to be based on FIRs, DDRs or other records regarding participation in movement for creation of ‘Punjabi Suba’. But in a circular issued on May 10, Punjab Government paved the way for disbursement of pension to any “Sangharshi Yodha” on identification by ex-MP, ex-MlA, MP, MlA, Zila Parishad chairman and member etc.
The Bench observed the circular was diluting the process for identifying beneficiaries and likely to be misused.
The Bench added pension under the impugned scheme was being paid without specifying any criteria. The word “participation” in movement could not be treated as criteria.