The Supreme Court directed the Uttarakhand government to pay Rs.1 crore compensation to the widow of a doctor who was shot dead while on duty in 2016. The court noted that despite approval from the chief secretary, the government failed to provide the initially promised Rs.50 lakh compensation. Taking a strong stance, the SC enhanced the amount and ordered immediate payment. The ruling highlights the importance of justice and state accountability.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court directed the Uttarakhand government to compensate the widow of a doctor who was shot dead while on duty in 2016, noting that the state had failed to pay the promised amount of Rs 50 lakh.
A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar quantified the compensation to be Rs 1 crore, including interest. The order dated March 5 stated that Rs 11 lakh had already been disbursed, and the remaining amount should be paid within six weeks.
Dr. Sunil Kumar was killed on April 20, 2016, while working at the Community Health Centre in Jaspur. He was the sole provider for his family, which included an elder son who was in his final year of BTech and a younger son in Class 12 at the time of his death. Following the incident, his wife appealed to the chief minister for an extraordinary pension.
The chief secretary subsequently proposed a compensation package of Rs 50 lakh, along with a compassionate appointment for the elder son and government accommodation for the widow in Dehradun for five years.
When this compensation was not paid, she approached the Uttarakhand High Court, which acknowledged that the chief minister had approved the proposal. While her elder son received a compassionate appointment as a lecturer and she was provided official accommodation, only Rs 1 lakh had been disbursed to her.
During the proceedings, the state argued that she was not entitled to an extraordinary pension, claiming that a doctor’s work does not fall under the category of life-threatening jobs.
They noted that she was receiving a monthly pension of Rs 76,409.
However, the high court countered, stating,
“The petitioner’s husband died while discharging his official duties. Thus, the petitioner was entitled to extraordinary pension as per the Uttar Pradesh Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 1981, as amended from time to time. It was the duty of the State Government to protect the life of the petitioner’s husband.”
The court further remarked,
“Killing a doctor while on duty amounts to negation of the rule of law,”
Also ordered the state to pay Rs 1,99,09,000 in compensation, along with 7.5 percent interest per annum from the date of filing the petition.
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After the state government appealed the high court’s decision, the Supreme Court pointed out that even after the chief secretary approved the compensation, it was not disbursed, adding that “the family has been litigating for more than nine years.”
The court emphasized that the family’s request for the sanctioned amount had been ignored under the pretext of non-approval for its release, and stated,
“In our view, considering the gravity of the incident, the sanction must be honored and the amount paid along with interest.”