The High Court has issued a rule asking why the pension and other entitled benefits of late Md Habibur Rahman, who died after retiring as a storekeeper of the Department of Agricultural Extension in the Mymensingh region, should not be provided to his disabled son Md Ashfakur Rahman Shawn.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice Sheikh Tahsin Ali issued the rule on Monday.
Eight respondents, including the agriculture secretary, finance secretary and director general of the department of agricultural extension, have been asked to reply to the rule.
Advocate Md Parvez conducted the hearing on behalf of the writ petition. He told TIMES of Bangladesh that Md Habibur Rahman retired on 20 January 2016.
After retirement, he had been receiving pension and other benefits in accordance with the rules. He died on 4 March this year. His wife had passed away earlier.
At the time of his death, Habibur Rahman left behind three daughters and one son. His son, Ashfakur Rahman Shawn, is disabled. According to the lawyer, the other heirs nominated Shawn as the sole pension beneficiary.
After that, Shawn applied to the concerned authorities on 15 August seeking approval of his father’s pension and other entitled benefits in his favour.
However, on 27 August, Taufiq Ahmed Khan, Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Mymensingh rejected the application.
Challenging the decision, Shawn filed a writ petition with the High Court on 13 September. Following the preliminary hearing of the petition, the court issued the rule asking why the pension and other entitled benefits should not be granted to him.
