CUTTACK: The Orissa high court has directed the Kendrapada district collector to pay family pension to a 91-year-old widow whose husband, a school teacher, died 46 years ago.A single judge bench of Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy issued the direction Wednesday in the case of Hara Sahoo, the wife of Benudhar Sahoo, who was an assistant teacher at Ratnakar Middle English School in Kasoti, when he died on August 26, 1977.The widow had filed several representations for family pension before the school as well as mass education authorities in the district since 1991, but in vain.Hara moved to HC on October 19, after the Kendrapada collector rejected her representation for family pension, gratuity and other service benefits on August 21.The state authorities had taken the stand that the woman was not eligible for family pension as it was introduced after the death of her husband.

However, Justice Satapathy granted the relief considering that though Benudhar died in 1977, in normal course he would have retired in 1983.

He ordered the collector to release the pension amount within two months “from the date of receipt of this order”.“Hara Devi is now 91 and stays with her only son, a 60-year-old retired fisheries department employee, daughter-in-law and three grandsons at Palei Derakundi in Kendrapada,” said her advocate.Widow filed several representations for family pension before the school as well as mass education authorities in the district since 1991, but in vain