Kanpur Woman's Pension Stuck For 45 Years Over ‘I’ And ‘E’, Allahabad HC Pulls Up Officials

Last Updated:February 25, 2026, 14:36 IST

A single ‘I’ and ‘E’ spelling error kept a woman waiting 45 years for her family pension. The Allahabad High Court has now pulled up officials and set a one-week deadline

The Allahabad High Court has taken serious note of a case in which a woman had to run from office to office for 45 years due to a minor spelling error in her father’s name, which stalled her family pension. The court reprimanded officials of the Kanpur Municipal Corporation (KMC) and directed them to resolve the matter within a week.

The petition was filed by Manju Rai and heard by a single bench of Justice Vikram D Chauhan.

Background Of The Case

The petitioner’s father was an employee of the Kanpur Municipal Corporation. He retired in 1975 and passed away in 1980. During his service and after retirement, he received his pension regularly.

However, after his death, when the family applied for a family pension, the department raised objections over a spelling discrepancy in his name.

One-Letter Difference, Years Of Delay

In the service records, his name was recorded as Shikhar Nath Shukla, whereas in the application and certain other documents it appeared as Shekhar Nath Shukla. The variation was merely a one-letter difference; ‘I’ instead of ‘E’ in the English spelling.

Citing this discrepancy, the department refused to grant the family pension, leaving the issue unresolved for 45 years.

Court Observations And Documents Submitted

The petition stated that the difference was limited to a single letter and that an affidavit had been submitted to clarify the error. The court observed that the petitioner had also provided a succession certificate and other supporting documents to establish that both spellings referred to the same person.

One-Week Deadline, Warning To Commissioner

Taking a stern view, the court ordered the authorities to settle the matter within a week. It further warned that if the direction was not complied with, the municipal commissioner would have to personally appear and explain the delay at the next hearing scheduled for February 26.

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