Shimla, June 17 -- In a significant ruling, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has held that "parents become entitled to family pension when the widow remarries," while coming to the aid of an 83-year-old mother of a Border Security Force (BSF) soldier.

The single-judge bench of Justice Sandeep Sharma directed the Union of India to grant family pension to petitioner Shankari Devi, who had been denied her rightful claim for decades. The court also quashed the rejection order issued by the Pay and Accounts Division of the BSF, which had earlier declared her ineligible.

Directing the Union Government to act in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, the court stated:

"The Union Government is dir...