Udupi: 85-Year-Old Senior Citizen Runs from Office to Office for Two Years to Get Family Pension
Udupi: A disturbing incident has come to light in which an 85-year-old senior citizen has been forced to run from one government office to another for the past two years to obtain the family pension rightfully due to him.
The elderly man, Vasu Kotian, has approached the Udupi-based Human Rights Protection Foundation seeking justice. The organisation has now taken responsibility to ensure that he receives his entitled pension.
Providing details at a press conference, Dr Ravindranath Shanubag of the Human Rights Protection Foundation said that Varija Kotian, wife of Vasu Kotian, served for 36 years at Vidyadayini Primary School, Surathkal, and retired in December 2013. She received her pension for nearly ten years and passed away in January 2023.
As per the rules, her husband, Vasu Kotian, was eligible for a family pension. Accordingly, on March 23, 2023, he applied along with all required documents to the Block Education Officer (BEO) in Mangaluru. After verification, the application was recommended and forwarded to the Accountant General (AG).
However, even after three weeks, there was no response from the AG’s office. Kotian then personally visited the AG’s office in Bengaluru, where he was told that his file had not been received and was asked to return later. Nearly three months later, during his second visit, he was informed by clerical staff that the file had been received but would take a few more days for processing.
Kotian was later informed that a Survivor Certificate was required. He immediately obtained the certificate from the Mangaluru Tahsildar and forwarded it to the AG through the Education Department.
Two Years of Struggle
Over the last two years, Kotian has submitted his application three times, enclosing all necessary documents, including his wife’s death certificate, original pension sanction letter, joint family photograph, and Survivor Certificate. He has sent seven reminders and made eight personal visits to the AG’s office, meeting officials and clerks, but to no avail.
Question of Nominee
At one point, a registered letter addressed to the deceased Varija Kotian was sent by the AG’s office. Though Vasu Kotian was ready to receive it, the postal staff refused, insisting on Varija’s signature. The letter was returned.
Upon inquiry, it was confirmed that the AG’s office had sent correspondence even in the name of the deceased. The letter raised objections such as “why no nominee name was mentioned” and again asked for details of surviving family members.
Kotian questioned the officials over the phone, asking how a deceased person could sign and receive a registered post. He also expressed helplessness in answering why his name was not mentioned as the nominee in his late wife’s pension papers and requested immediate sanction of the family pension.
Foundation’s Intervention
In January 2025, Kotian approached the Human Rights Protection Foundation and explained his prolonged struggle. The Foundation immediately took up the matter with the Accountant General’s office.
Following this, the AG’s office wrote to the Mangaluru District Treasury on August 11, 2025, seeking confirmation of the original pension papers and the date of the last pension payment to Varija Kotian, and asked Kotian to contact the treasury officials. Despite this, even after four months and three reminders, the pension has not been sanctioned.
Case Analysis
A review of documents shows that the AG’s office raised different objections at different times:
- On September 12, 2023: questioning why the husband’s name was not included as a nominee
- On January 17, 2024: objecting that no joint photograph was enclosed
- On August 11, 2025: directed the submission of original pension papers to the treasury.
Fortunately, the joint photograph was later traced and submitted.
Officials who could explain why no nominee was mentioned — including Varija Kotian, the then headmistress, and education officers — are either no longer alive or no longer in service. The current headmistress of Vidyadayini School has submitted written explanations three times stating the same.
What the Law Says
Legal provisions and court rulings clearly state that if no nominee is mentioned in pension records, family pension must be granted to eligible surviving family members. This is also explicitly stated on government websites.
The Survivor Certificate issued by the Tahsildar confirms that Vasu Kotian and two children are the surviving family members. As both children are over 40 years of age, Vasu Kotian alone is eligible for a family pension.
The Human Rights Protection Foundation stated that it remains committed to supporting the elderly man until he receives justice. The matter has also been brought to the attention of the Union Ministry of Finance, demanding immediate action to grant Vasu Kotian his rightful family pension.
