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The Maharashtra government has finally agreed to grant financial benefits to the immediate family of late army Major Anuj Sood. Representing Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde’s government, State advocate General Birendra Saraf said in court on Wednesday that the government has decided to provide benefits to Major Sood’s family under a special case category.
Late Major Sood was killed on May 2, 2020, while rescuing civilian hostages from terrorist hideouts in Jammu and Kashmir. He was awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously.
After his death, his wife, Aakriti Sood approached the Bombay High Court seeking the financial benefits due to ex-servicemen under two government resolutions (GR) issued in 2019 and 2020. Ms. Sood moved the court after the state government had refused benefits saying late Major Sood’s family was not eligible for the benefits and allowance since he was not born in Maharashtra and had not lived in the state for 15 years. Ms. Sood challenged the government’s communication received on August 26, 2020. Her plea contended that the Sood family have been living in Pune, Maharashtra for the past 15 years.
Mr. Saraf told the bench of judges, Justice Girish Kulkarni and Firdosh Pooniwalla that on April 15, the state government issued a GR to grant financial benefits to Aakriti Sood and Chandrakant Sood, father of late Major Sood. The resolution said that the State considered the Sood family’s case under a special case category and in light of observations made by the Bombay High Court, it has been decided to grant financial benefits to the late Major’s wife Aakriti Sood and his father, Chandrakant Sood. A sum of Rs 1 crore will be issued: ₹60 lakh to Ms. Sood and ₹̥40 lakh to Chandrakant Sood and a monthly payment of Rs. 9,000 to Ms. Sood under the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar Yojana.
The judges bench applauded the government’s decision. Justice Kulkarni said: “These are real human agonies. There is always an exception. This is a special case. We highly appreciate the stand taken by the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the state government in considering the petitioner’s case as a special case and granting benefits. The bench disposed of the petition noting that the amount shall be disbursed as expeditiously as possible.”
