Tuesday 8 May 2018

A Widow's Woes



A senior ex-colleague of mine recently asked me not to be so harsh with Salman Khan in the Black Buck 'assasination' case. She argued that compared to the thousands of crores swindled by the Modis, Choksis, Mallyas et al of the common man's hardearned money - our money - saved with banks, this was relatively insignificant and should be condoned. I have yet to reply to this, but it can wait.

More than the bank swindlers I am more concerned about a 82 year old widow whose husband, who was also my friend, passed away six years ago. It was his second marriage, his first wife succumbing to cancer decades ago. The two sons from the first marriage settled in the US of A. Upon hearing of their father's death they flew down, and did their duty. Then set about liquidating all the investment in stocks and shares of their father's name and after his death in their stepmothers name and reportedly took all the money which was in scores of lakhs, crores, leaving their step mother with 17 lakhs being the accumulated pension of her husband and now her's.

She had two relatives coming in occasionally not so much to take care of her needs or special requirements but to give her company. The boy would come regularly initially and help her with various kinds of small errands, bank,etc The girl came and stayed with her for a considerable period of time. Both of them were needy persons but I am not sure the widow voluntarily gave the boy Rs.50,000 which was withdrawn from her pension account.

Similarly the girl in two installments withdrew a total of Rs.67,000/- from the widows pension account. But it was done fraudulently. With or without the active connivance of State Bank of India, Mahalaxmi Branch, she got her name added as a joint holder with mode of operation either one or survivor. Once she withdrew money with the passbook and withdrawal slip and the second time it was a withdrawal by cheque. Luckily these withdrawals were noticed by the widow's friend who went to the bank with the joint holder passbook of the pension account. The Manager quickly hushed up the whole irregularity, confiscated the imcri,incriminating passbook and quickly issued a new one.
A pension account can only be in a single name, there CANNOT be a joint holder. There can only be nominee/s.

A widows pension is exclusively her rightful money. She may choose to give some/all of it by withdrawing the same But a pension account can never have a joint holder

It pains me no end to see people behaving like this. A lone widow grappling wiith multiple medical problems, managing on her own and having help from her own kith and kin only when she is hospitalised and then maybe when she is deed

https://shaktish.blogspot.in/2018/04/ek-kahani.html

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