Widow of martyred major wins four-year battle for benefits

The four-year-old battle waged by Aakriti Singh Sood, widow of Major Anuj Sood who was martyred while rescuing civilians held hostage by terrorists in Kashmir in May 2020, came to an end on Wednesday.

She had been running from pillar to post, seeking benefits from the Maharashtra government.

However, the babus had refused to grant her request on the grounds that Major Sood I was not domiciled in Maharashtra for 15 years continuously and was also not born in the state. Aakriti had pointed out that her husband had a defence background, which entailed frequent transfers. But he had a permanent address in Pune and this was reflected in his Aadhaar and PAN cards.

She finally moved Bombay High Court, which gave her a patient hearing and asked the state government to grant her prayers as a special case. However, the government did not respond positively on the last date of hearing.

The FPJ had then started a campaign through its print and online editions and its social media platforms like Instagram and X, which received a huge response. Several political leaders followed the FPJ campaign and took up the matter with the government. Finally, the government informed the HC on. Wednesday that it had decided to grant her financial benefits.