HC Directs For Payment Of Old Age Pension To Elderly Without Aadhaar Card

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court recently directed District Social Welfare Officer, Unnao, to pay old age pension to 15 elderly, who were denied the benifit due to the non-availability of Aadhaar cards and mobile phones.

The court instead asked the officer to verify their genuineness through bank records. “The Officer may satisfy himself about the genuineness of the petitioners, however, he would not insist on production of mobile numbers/Aadhar Cards and in case he comes to the conclusion about the genuineness of the petitioners and that they are not being paid old age pension, the same would be paid to them,” a bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi ordered.

One Mohana and other elderly persons had moved the court last year, seeking directives to restart their old age pension.

The petitioners had mentioned that they are not in a financial state to possess mobiles or Aadhaar cards. Their counsel submitted that they were prepared to subject themselves to any kind of verification other than the mobile and Aadhaar card verification.

The state counsel, however, contended that as no material had been produced to indicate that the old age pension was ever started, the petitioners have to establish that they were being paid pension which has been stopped.