In a significant ruling, the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has directed the Union government to grant a lifelong family pension to the widow of a World War II veteran, invoking a decades-old rule that counts wartime service twice for pension calculations.
The tribunal noted that Chand Ram had served during World War II. Chand Ram was initially enrolled in the Indian Army on June 16, 1941, and discharged on May 5, 1947, after completing nearly six years of service, according to the judgment. He was subsequently re-enrolled in the Army Ordnance Corps on December 21, 1948, and discharged in December 1954 after serving for nearly six years. His service from June 16, 1941, to September 2, 1945, fell within the World War II period and amounted to four years, two months and 17 days. Referring to a ministry of defence letter dated April 30, 1951, the tribunal held that this period was required to be counted double for pensionary benefits.
