The High Court of Andhra Pradesh has repealed the GO 152 issued by the Jaganmohan Reddy Government in November, 2019. The GO made widows and divorced daughters ineligible for receiving the pensions of the Government employees who died after retirement.

The court found fault with the GO and ruled that the pensions be given as per the rules existing prior to its issue. Also, the court ordered the Government to pay all the arrears to the beneficiaries along with 6 percent interest since the time the payments were withheld.

The High Court objected to the manner in which the Government stopped the pensions without giving any notices to the petitioners. The court also termed as laughable that the minimum age was fixed as 45 years for receiving the pensions. It was not correct and the pensions should be released irrespective of the age.

As per the AP revised pensions rules 1980, there were no problems for widows and divorcees to get pensions in case their parents died after retirement. They had not fixed any conditions for the same. When the pensions were given as a right under the constitution, the Government cannot take away that right by issuing executive orders.