Chandigarh, Nov. 20 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the principal secretary of the Haryana electricity department to personally examine the issue of an 80-year-old widow running from pillar to post for 50 years for pensionary benefits of her late husband and ensure that "all lawful benefits are released to her forthwith". The order was passed by the bench of justice HS Brar on the plea from Laxmi Devi from Sonepat whose husband Maha Singh, died on January 5, 1974, while working as a sub-station officer with the then Haryana State Electricity Board. The petitioner received only a small ex-gratia payment of Rs.6,026 in 1976. However, the family pension, gratuity and other dues were never released to her despite multiple representations. In 2005, she approached the high court with her grievance and petition was disposed of directing authorities to consider her representation. However, no substantive relief was granted to her, as per the plea. As per the plea, in 2007 her son separated from her and moved away, leaving the aged and illiterate petitioner without support. She became dependent on neighbors and later on her married daughter, her lawyer had further told the court. "The case paints a disheartening and distressing picture of administrative apathy compounded by the petitioner's advanced age, deteriorating health, and lack of effective legal assistance. An aged widow, already burdened by grief and financial hardship, is being made to suffer further because of systematic indifference and procedural neglect. Such situations highlight the unfortunate reality that those most in need of justice often find themselves most helpless in securing it," the court observed, adding that it was unfortunate that the aged woman had to approach the court twice. The court observed that departmental letters showed Maha Singh had been allotted a General Provident Fund (GPF) account and deductions were made, which contradicted the state's latest claim that he was only under the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) scheme and not entitled to a regular pension. "Curiously, all departmental communications annexed with the present writ petition indicate that the petitioner is entitled to the relief claimed. Moreover, it is incomprehensible how the deceased could have been allotted a GPF account number if he was not covered under the Board's GPF/Pension Scheme," the court added. The court further observed that extending relief to a voiceless 80-year-old widow and securing her rights is not a matter of judicial discretion or benevolence, rather it is a constitutional imperative anchored in the preamble and Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution. "Whenever courts fail to protect the weakest, the constitutional promise stands dismissed. But when they rise to defend them, the transformative spirit of the Constitution shines in its truest form," it remarked while asking the principal secretary of the electricity department or the administrative secretary to consider her claim within two months....