The Allahabad High Court has set aside the order of the district administration rejecting the insurance claim of a farmer’s widow under the Mukhyamantri Kisan Evam Sarvahit Bima Yojna merely on the ground of delay after the death of her husband.
The Court observed that “The petitioner cannot be made to suffer for the negligence or inaction of the authorities.”
The Court held that the objective of social welfare schemes is to provide immediate financial assistance to families in distress and therefore the administration must adopt a “humane and pragmatic approach” instead of rejecting claims on rigid technical grounds.
The order was passed by a Division Bench of Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Garima Prasad while allowing the petition filed by Lalsa Devi.
According to the case, the petitioner’s husband Ram Pravesh Yadav, a marginal farmer, died on 6 September 2016 after being attacked by a buffalo. A panchanama was conducted the same day and the post-mortem was carried out on 7 September 2016. Thereafter, the petitioner initiated the process of filing a claim under the Mukhyamantri Kisan Evam Sarvahit Bima Yojna.
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Counsel for the petitioner informed the Court that the petitioner had submitted the required documents to the concerned Lekhpal within the prescribed time. However, the Lekhpal failed to forward them to the higher authorities.
Later, he was transferred April 2017 and did not hand over the documents to the new Lekhpal, which resulted in delay in processing the claim. The petitioner’s counsel further submitted that when the matter ultimately reached the authorities, the insurance committee rejected the claim treating it as delayed on the ground that it had been filed nearly 20 months after the death.
The counsel for the State, however, argued that the record did not contain the date of the initial application and that the claim came into the process only after 27 January 2018. Therefore, since it was beyond the period prescribed under the scheme, its rejection was justified.
The Court, after examining the material on record, found that the petitioner had duly handed over the necessary documents to the Lekhpal within time, but the official did not forward them to the higher authorities. A show cause notice had also been issued to him and departmental action had been recommended.
Referring to the Supreme Court judgment in Olga Tellis vs. Bombay Municipal Corporation, 1985 SCR Supl. (2) 51 the Court observed that,
It is a settled principle that governmental action, particularly in matters concerning welfare schemes, should reflect compassion and responsiveness to the socio-economic realities of disadvantaged groups. Administrative authorities are duty-bound to act with fairness, diligence and sensitivity while dealing with claims of beneficiaries. Delegated or subordinate legislation enacted for social welfare must be implemented in a purposive manner so that the intended benefit reaches those for whom the scheme has been designed.
The Court noted that the concerned official had been merely let off with a warning, while the victim widow had been deprived of the benefits of the welfare scheme, which was not justified. Reiterating the responsibilities of the public authorities, the Court further submitted that
“Administrative authorities implementing welfare measures are expected to act with fairness, responsibility and sensitivity towards citizens in distress. Subordinate or delegated legislation, especially those framed for socio-economic welfare and upliftment, must be administered with care and in a manner that advances the purpose for which they have been enacted.”
Finally, the Court quashed the order dated 16 December 2021 of the District Magistrate, Ballia and directed the authorities for the reconsideration of the matter.
The Court also gave direction to the District Magistrate to decide the petitioner’s claim afresh in accordance with law and complete the process within eight weeks.
Case: Lalsa Devi vs State of U.P. and 4 others
Date of Order: 12.03.2026
