HC raps Punjab for apathy towards martyr's family

Chandigarh, May 10

Rapping the state of Punjab for gross apathy and indifference towards the family of a soldier who “laid down his life defending the country’s borders from the onslaught of enemy forces”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the payment of Rs 5 lakh to his widow as a compensatory measure facing “indolence and lethargy”.

The direction came after the Bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Kuldeep Tiwari took note of the fact that petitioner-widow Balwant Kaur was not assigned “revenue rasta” for enabling her to fully utilise the land allotted to her for honouring the exhibition of gallantry by Havildar Kehar Singh. The allotment was rendered completely purposeless as she was unable to use the land allotted since 2009.

The Bench said she was needlessly and repeatedly dragged into litigation. As such, directions to monetarily recompense the petitioner was necessary.