In a significant ruling, the Allahabad High Court has held that heirs of deceased employees should not be denied reimbursement of medical expenses due to technicalities such as a delay in submission. The court emphasized that when an employee passes away during treatment, their family members should not suffer additional hardships due to procedural barriers.
The case was brought before the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India by Smt. Maimuna Begum, the widow of a deceased employee. She had applied for reimbursement of her husband's medical expenses but was denied on the grounds that the claim was filed beyond the prescribed 90-day period. Aggrieved by this decision, she approached the court seeking reconsideration of her claim.
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Court's Observation
After examining the case, Justice Ajit Kumar noted that the rejection was solely based on the rule requiring medical bills to be submitted within 90 days. The court observed:
"If an employee has died during treatment, his wife or heirs should not be harassed for technical reasons. Such a rule that prescribes a time limit for submitting medical bills may be strictly enforced when the employee is alive. However, in the case of heirs where the employee has passed away during treatment, such rules should not obstruct genuine claims for medical bill reimbursement. The provision should be considered as directory rather than mandatory."
The court further highlighted that the law of limitation should not be rigidly applied when it comes to incidental service benefits. It pointed out that there was no explicit provision stating that claims filed after 90 days must be compulsorily rejected. Therefore, the rejection of the petitioner's claim was unjustified.
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Court's Final Decision and Directives
Considering the circumstances, the Allahabad High Court directed the petitioner to resubmit the medical bills to the Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Raebareilly, within four weeks. The court further instructed the concerned authority to process and clear the bills as per the relevant rules within two weeks of submission.
With this ruling, the High Court reaffirmed that procedural formalities should not hinder rightful claims, especially when dealing with heirs of deceased employees. The judgment ensures that families of deceased employees are treated with fairness and dignity, rather than being subjected to unnecessary bureaucratic delays.
Case Title: Smt. Maimuna Begum v. State Of U.P. And 5 Others [WRIT - A No. - 122 of 2025]
