BRAVE 82 YEAR OLD WIDOW WINS COURT BATTLE TO SUCCESSFULLY GET JUSTICE TO HER GALLANT SUPER PARA COMMANDO HUSBAND HARI SINGH AFTER PROLONGED STRUGGLE FOR 37 YEARS!

Delivering a landmark historic ten-page succinct judgement encompassing far reaching legal ramifications, the Honourable ARMED FORCES TRIBUNAL, REGIONAL BENCH, LUCKNOW consisting of Learned Justice Major General Sanjay Singh, Member (A) and Justice Suresh Kumar Gupta, Member (J), vide Order Sheet dated the sixteenth of July, 2025 in Ο.Α. No. 11 of 2023 passed an Order in favour of the brave widow of gallant Super Para Commando former Captain late Hari Singh Panwar  (11 Mech Infantry).

This culminates the brave eighty-two year old illiterate lady's successful struggle of thirty-seven years to get Justice to her exceptionally gallant late husband Super Para Commando former Captain Hari Singh.

Her battle begun the day her brave husband had expired. She had to run from pillar to post. She was turned away from every office-door with a standard reply that she was chasing a wild goose, an illusionary mirage, and that no injustice was done to her late brave husband.

(News of Brave Lady's Legal Victory, Dainik Jagaran Lucknow dated 20 July, 2025) 

Even her now grown up and well-educated children had often tried to discourage her from pursuing her pursuit of Justice to her late husband. 

They would tell her it was useless to keep corresponding with insensitive government authorities. They would cite negative replies from authorities as a proof. Then, they would tell her costly, lethargic, and time-consuming judicial system was beyond their financial reach. And they would add philosophically that it wasn't worth wasting her precious life running after a mirage. 

But, she was determined to achieve her holy objective of Justice. Having been born and brought up as a young girl in barren, rough, tough, and treacherous sandy deserts of Rajasthan where every day was a struggle for bare survival, she had imbibed rare qualities of patience, determination, survival and never-die-hope. 

Moreover, she knew somewhere deep in her heart that something was horribly wrong somewhere, that deeply unforgivable injustice had been done to her gallant husband. So, she made it her single-minded life mission to get justice to her late brave husband.

Her resilient mind told her not to give up, not to despair. Her wonderful intuition kept her guiding on the rocky terrain.

Her continuous unwavering struggle inspite of her several handicaps like social restrictions, a lack of formal education and legal knowledge speaks volumes about her indomitable courage, extraordinary perseverance, unflinching dedication and unshakable staunch faith in Indian Judicial system. Though quite late yet nonetheless justice has been delivered and delivered superbly. 

The Honourable Learned Justice Major General Sanjay Singh is reported to have expressed anguish in his opening remarks while opening the hearings' proceedings on the final hearing day in the court room. 

He strongly lashed out at the outset that he was deeply pained and surprised to note, after having read the whole case file, that the gallant Super Para Commando former Captain Hari Singh wasn't honoured with even a "Sena Medal" despite his EXCEPTIONAL HEROIC WAR and peace-time EXPLOITS and CONTRIBUTIONS even at the heavy cost of his health! The Sena medal is the lowest military gallantry award in India. 

He further added that he had read the whole case file three times which convinced him beyond any doubt that the gallant Super Para Commando former Captain Hari Singh had deserved richly the highest of military gallantry medals! 

He said that though he himself had no opportunity to take part in any war yet he had personally led infantry regiment. So, he could easily empathise with the sterling leadership displayed by  the gallant Super Para Commando former Captain Hari Singh in times of war and peace; and injustice done to the latter. 

He put searching questions to both the applicant and respondents' counsel and their teams. 

The respondents' counsel and team had no satisfactory answers. They couldn't even produce certain vital documents that he had asked them to produce as an evidence in their claims' support though they had reportedly come with three suitcases full of documents related with the gallant Super Para Commando former Captain Hari Singh!

Whereas the applicant's counsel put up a strong logically, impeccably, and legally impregnable case with irrefutable facts, papers, pieces of evidence, and arguments. 

Quite naturally then, the verdict was pronounced in favour of the appellant, the brave old widow. 

The Learned Justices inter alia passed following landmark order:

“12. In the case in hand, the applicant’s husband was discharged from service on 31.03.1988 (AN) with five disabilities, which were attributable to/aggravated by military service. He died within twenty days on 20.04.1988 while admitted in Military Hospital, Ahmednagar. In the circumstances, since the applicant’s husband having died due to disabilities, which were attributable to/aggravated by military service, applicant is entitled to grant of Special Family Pension.

13. In view of the above……….The respondents are directed to grant Special Family Pension to the Applicant w.e.f. 21.04.1988 along with aarrears…………….The Respondents are directed to calculate due drawn amount and pay Special Family Pension to the applicant within a period of four months on receipt of a certified copy of this order. Default will invite interest @ 8% p.a.”

Indian Supreme Court's practising Senior Advocate Sandeep Tripathi and Lucknow Bar's Senior advocate Vijay Kumar Pandey represented the case on behalf of the super-brave old lady. While Learned counsel Dr Shailendra Sharma 'Atal' represented the respondents alongwith a legal team comprising a Colonel rank officer from Adjudication branch and two Major rank officers from Records Office, Mech Infantry Regiment Centre, Ahmednagar. 

X - @teamaatmeeyataa

(Source: Widow of Super Para Commando Hari Singh Panwar, Defence sources who shared information on condition of anonymity,  Dainik Jagaran Lucknow, inputs by TeamEditorial Aatmeeyataa Patrekaa) 

Editorial Note: You are most welcome to share the article on the Super Para Commando Hari Singh Panwar, under the Common Creative Attribution License. The credit must be given to the Aatmeeyataa Patrekaa while sharing.