Gross apathy shown by authorities: Punjab and Haryana HC awards ₹5 lakh compensation to widow of slain armyman

The Punjab and Haryana high court has given a compensation of ₹5 lakh to the widow of a martyr for gross ‘apathy and indifference’ shown by authorities towards her.

The bench of justice Sureshwar Thakur and justice Kuldeep Tiwari observed that the widow of a valiant soldier should have been dealt with “the honour which is to be bestowed, upon his surviving family members.”

As per the case as an honour for an exhibition of gallantry by Havildar Kehar Singh, his widow and petitioner Balwant Kaur was allotted 10 acres of land in August 1997 at village Khera Bet in Ludhiana. The symbolic possession was delivered only in May 2009. But later to light that out of the 10 acres of land, possession was assignable to her of only 8 acres, as the remaining two acres were under forest cover.

In 2010, she approached the court and upon intervention, she was allotted land in Nurpur Bet in September 2011. However, the allotted plot had no ‘revenue rasta’ (a path). Hence, allotment became ‘purposeless’, her plea said. She approached the court again in November 2022.

The state’s counsel told the court that now a ‘rasta’ has been allotted. However, the bench observed that allotment was belated, and, only happened as the woman approached the court.

The bench remarked that such evident “indifference and indolence” was required to be deprecated in the strongest terms.

Awarding ₹5 lakh compensation to the woman, the court further added that she was forced to approach the court repeatedly and was dragged into litigation. Hence, it becomes imperative to monetarily compensate her.