No family pension for kin charged with murder of government servant

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If a government servant is murdered and his eligible next of kin is charged with the murder or abetment of murder, the payment of family pension to such kin will be denied until criminal proceedings against him or her have concluded, says the latest amendment in pension rules. In such cases the pension shall be payable to the next eligible kin in the family, if any, it added.

The Department of Pension and Pensioner’s Welfare has issued new rules further to amend the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972.

“Where a person, who, in the event of death of a government servant while in service, is eligible to receive family pension under this rule, is charged with the offence of murder of the government servant or for abetment of the commission of such an offence, the family pension shall not be payable to such person till the conclusion of the criminal proceedings instituted against him in this behalf and the family pension shall be payable to other eligible member of the family, if any, from the date following the date of death of the government servant,” as per the latest rules.

If next eligible member is a minor?

In cases where the spouse of the government servant is charged with the said offence and the next eligible family member is a minor child of the deceased government servant, the family pension to such minor child shall be payable through a duly appointed guardian, and the accused shall not act as guardian for the purpose of drawing the family pension, the new rules clarified.

However, if the accused person is acquitted, the family pension shall become payable to him/her from the date of such acquittal and the family pension to other member of the family shall be discontinued from that date.

If convicted, the person shall be debarred from receiving the family pension and the same shall be continued to be paid to other eligible member of the family.