HC stays allotment of LPG agencies under defence quota

CHANDIGARH: The allotment of LPG agencies under the quota meant for soldiers, who are disabled or killed while performing duties, has come under the High Court’s scanner after a disabled veteran alleged incorrect certificates have been issued by the Haryana Government to applicants who are otherwise ineligible.

sVijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 16

The allotment of LPG agencies under the quota meant for soldiers, who are disabled or killed while performing duties, has come under the High Court’s scanner after a disabled veteran alleged incorrect certificates have been issued by the Haryana Government to applicants who are otherwise ineligible.

Taking up a petition filed by Major PP Singh, a war injury pensioner, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered a stay on the allotments under the defence quota by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

The officer has stated before the High Court he was one of the applicants in the category of defence and other government personnel meant to cater to disabled soldiers or kin of those who died “while performing duties”. He has averred that IOC is in the process of allotting an agency to one civilian on the basis of a certificate issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Rewari, stating that the he was eligible under the category.

The petition contends that in reality, the services of the person’s father had been terminated in 1995 and he died in 2000. He was later notionally reinstated in service on court orders in 2002. The petitioner has submitted that when the father of the applicant was not even in service at the time of his death and had died during the period of termination, it was impossible for him to have died “while performing duties”.

The petitioner has further averred that the said category was special and meant for disabled personnel and dependants of those who died protecting national or state interest. Cases of normal in-service deaths could not be considered a part of the category because any dependant of any government employee dying in harness would stake a claim to the special category meant for those disabled or killed in action or due to vagaries of service.

Sources said that earlier the Allahabad High Court had also ruled that even death of police personnel in service due to illnesses could not be treated as death “while performing duties” for the purpose of allotment of LPG agencies.

Contending that such irregularities in other applicants cannot be ruled out, the petitioner has pleaded before the court that the government should be directed to scrupulously check eligibility of all current and future applicants.