NOVELTY - One-pot process for the preparation of flupirtine maleate (I) from 6-chloro-3-nitro-pyridin-2-ylamine (II) is claimed.    USE - The process is useful for preparing (I) (claimed) which is used for treating musculoskeletal pain. No biological data given.    ADVANTAGE - The process: is a one-pot process and industrial feasible; is carried out in water immiscible alcohol which is easily recovered; avoids use of hazardous and carcinogenic reagents e.g. hydrazine hydrate; utilizes reduced molar equivalent amount of 4-fluorobenzylamine, preferably 1.05 mole equivalent amount; avoids the use of costly bases (e.g. triethylamine) and dioxane and water soluble alcohols; is safe from the industrial point of view, economical and environment friendly; avoids isolation or formation of flupirtine free base (which is oxygen sensitive and responsible for colored product); rectifies critical conditions e.g. exothermic reaction, hazardous reagent and incompetent solvents; ameliorates lengthy work-up procedures; and avoids isolation of intermediates at various stages.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - One-pot process for the preparation of flupirtine maleate of formula (I) from 6-chloro-3-nitro-pyridin-2-ylamine of formula (II) is claimed. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for:    (1) an improved process for the preparation of pure crystal modification-A of flupirtine maleate (I) comprising condensing (II) with 4-fluorobenzylamine in water immiscible alcohol in the presence of inorganic base to form N(6)-(4-fluoro-benzyl)-3-nitro-pyridine-2,6-diamine (III), hydrogenating (III) in water immiscible alcohol in the presence of reducing agent and optionally in the presence of phase transfer catalyst to form N(6)-(4-fluoro-benzyl)-pyridine-2,3,6-triamine (IV) in-situ, acylating (IV) in-situ by ethyl chloroformate in water immiscible alcohol to form (2-amino-6-(4-fluoro-benzylamino)-pyridin-3-yl)-carbamic acid ethyl ester hydrochloride (V), treating (V) with maleic acid in-situ to isolate flupirtine maleate (I), and purifying (I) isolate pure crystal modification-A of (I);    (2) preparation of flupirtine maleate (I) comprising (a1) hydrogenating (II) in the presence of reducing agent and optionally in the presence of phase transfer catalyst to form (IV), (b1) acylating (IV) by ethyl chloroformate to form (V), and (c1) treating (V) with maleic acid to isolate (I), where the steps (a1)-(c1) are carried out in water immiscible alcohol optionally in combination with water; and    (3) preparation (III) comprising treating (II) with 4-fluorobenzylamine in isobutanol optionally in combination with water in the presence of inorganic base.