Freedom fighter's 92-year-old widow moves Karnataka HC after pension halted
What's the story
A 92-year-old widow has approached the Karnataka High Court after her late husband's freedom fighter pension was stopped in 2019. The woman, whose husband G Ramaiah was awarded the Tamra Patra in 1972 for his contributions to India's freedom struggle, had been receiving both Central and State pensions until February 2019. In 1973, the government of India sanctioned a freedom fighter's pension. He passed away in 2000, but the pension continued being paid to his wife as a family pension.
Pension disparity
Widow's plea states no effective steps were taken
However, the Central pension payments were abruptly stopped from March 2019 without any formal communication The widow's plea stated that despite repeated representations, no effective steps were taken to restore it. Then in July 2019, the District Treasury Officer informed her that the freedom fighter's pension book was lost and asked for a duplicate. Between 2019 and 2022, there were several communications between government officials and Union Bank of India on this issue but no resolution was achieved.
Unresolved issue
Government directed Union Bank to release pension payments
In September 2025, the government of India responded to a legal notice directing Union Bank to release the pension. However, despite this direction, the bank failed to credit the arrears of the freedom fighter's family pension to his widow's account. This prompted her to approach the Karnataka High Court seeking relief and restoration of her Central government pension payments.
Pension plea
Widow seeks directions from court for restoration of payments
In her plea, the widow highlighted her financial dependence, as she is bedridden and has no dependents. She sought directions from the court to restore her Central government pension payments. During the hearing on Wednesday, the state's counsel told the court that the State has continued to disburse its share and that non-payment of pension was from the central government. The matter was heard by Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum, who sought responses from the Centre, state and the bank.