LUCKNOW, March 29 -- The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has said that if a government employee or a pensioner dies during treatment or becomes incapable of making a claim, his legal heirs can also claim reimbursement of medical expenses.

The division bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai passed the judgment recently on the petition filed by one Chandra Choor Singh.

The petitioner's father was a retired deputy registrar. He was treated at private hospitals in Lucknow, where he passed away during treatment. The petitioner applied for reimbursement of medical expenses, but the department rejected the claim, stating that only the "beneficiary" can make a claim under the rules.

The state government argued tha...