Chandigarh, Sept. 11 -- In a significant ruling, the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has directed the Union government to grant a lifelong family pension to the widow of a World War II veteran, invoking a decades-old rule that counts wartime service twice for pension calculations.

The order was passed on September 3, in a case filed by Brahma, widow of late Sepoy Chand Ram in 2021. The applicant challenged the rejection of her claim for her late husband's service and family pension.

According to the judgment, Chand Ram was initially enrolled in the Indian Army on June 16, 1941, and discharged on May 5, 1947, after completing nearly six years of service. He was subsequently re-enrolled in the Army Ordnance Corps on December 21, 1948, and dis...