Apropos the 7 May Order of the
Supreme Court that LIC shall release 20% of the amount ‘as per the impugned
judgement of the High Court’ (which is yet to be implemented), it is clear that
LIC is playing the game by setting its own rules.
LIC was successfully challenged at
Chandigarh and it had to eat the humble pie by withdrawing its application for
withdrawal of money.
In Delhi, we a see a different ball
game – let us watch.
In Jaipur, LIC took two years to
deposit a total sum of Rs. 19,63,638/- in three instalments between 23.12.2011 and
20.11.2013. The amount withdrawn viz., Rs 3,92,727.60 cannot be the amount to
be paid because even as per its faulty
formula, LIC has to add what is due after 20.11.2013 up to 30 April 2015 to
appear as honouring the 7 May Order. So when the amount released/paid eventually
is more (by a few thousands each) than the amount withdrawn, one may claim,
‘See, I told you, the amount withdrawn has nothing to do with the amount
payable - both are different’. ‘My theory stands proved, I am vindicated.
The fact of the matter by way of a
real example is, in a given case in Chandigarh, LIC deposited Rs. NIL up to 31.07.1997 as against Rs 19,680/-
due. Obviously there is no weightage till then. Continuing the faulty
formula till 31.07.2014 in the same case the amount deposited (of course without weightage) was Rs
34,883/- as against Rs 12,41,310/- due with weightage.
The mischief at Chandigarh shown
above was only a repeat of what was done in Jaipur. So, as and when any payment
is made in Jaipur (Rs.3,92,727.60 or even after adding a few thousand more to take it up to April 2015), Mr Krishna Murari
Lal Asthana should cry foul, blow the whistle, join the platform at SC already
secured for 7 Sept 2015 by the Chandigarh Petitioners and collaborate in
exposing the highhandedness of LIC and the shabby interpretation given by it to
the 7 May Order. If he has a different agenda, that is a different matter.
If the Respondents in all the three
CAs cannot have identical views on the import of the 7 May Order, it amounts to
compromising the interests of the Pensioners community as a whole.
May God be with us…