Government issues guidelines on splitting pensions for bigamous marriages
The government just rolled out fresh guidelines on how family pensions should be split when a central government employee has more than one spouse.
Normally, the pension goes to the legally wedded spouse after an employee passes away, but under Rule 50(8)(c) of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021, if there are two wives, they're supposed to share it equally.
Complications of bigamous marriages and pensions
If one wife isn't eligible or has passed away herself, her share of the pension now goes straight to her children.
But here's where it gets tricky: The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 doesn't recognize a second marriage unless the first is officially dissolved—so figuring out who's entitled can get messy.
To keep things fair and avoid legal headaches, ministries have been told to appoint special officers for these cases and consult legal experts before making decisions.
The goal: make sure all eligible family members actually get what they're owed.