CAT rejects pension claim of second ‘wife’
CHENNAI : The Madras bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Wednesday upheld Kolkata-based Ordnance Factory Board’s order rejecting the claim for family pension by the ‘second wife’ of an OFB employee.
The bench of judicial member Justice G Shanthappa and administrative member R Satapathy said the decision taken by the respondents, including OFB, in rejecting the claim of R Devaki, ‘second wife’ of M Subramaniam, for family pension was right.
The department of pension and pensioners’ welfare, the order said, had clarified that the ‘second wife’ would not be entitled to family pension as such a marriage cannot be legally solemnised when either party has a spouse living at the time. The respondents include OFB chairman and director-general and general manager of Cordite Factory in The Nilgiris. “The petitioner (Devika) cannot ask for inclusion of her name for family pension of M Subramaniam, who died on March 6, 2012, since she is his illegitimate wife and not entitled for the relief as prayed for,” said Justice Shanthappa.