A CASE FOR FILING A REVIEW PETITION IN THE
SUPREME COURT?
In the operative part of the judgment
in the CA No 10251/2014, the Supreme
Court has ordered as follows:
“We
thus hold that the termination of services of the Appellant, in essence,
was
voluntary retirement within the ambit of Rule 31 of the Pension Rules of
1995.
The Appellant is entitled for pension, provided he fulfils the condition of
refunding
of the entire amount of the Corporation’s contribution to the
Provident
Fund along with interest accrued thereon as provided in the Pension
Rules
of 1995. Considering the huge delay, not explained by proper reasons, on
part
of the Appellant in approaching the Court, we limit the benefits of arrears
of
pension payable to the Appellant to three years preceding the date of the
petition
filed before the High Court. These arrears of pension should be paid to
the
Appellant in one instalment within four weeks from the date of refund of the
entire
amount payable by the Appellant in accordance of the Pension Rules of
1995.
In the alternative, the Appellant may opt to get the amount of refund
adjusted
against the arrears of pension. In the latter case, if the amount of
arrear
is more than the amount of refund required, then the remaining amount
shall
be paid within two weeks from the date of such request made by the
Appellant.
However, if the amount of arrears is less than the amount of refund
required,
then the pension shall be payable on monthly basis after the date on
which the
amount of refund is entirely adjusted.”
In the case of the resigned officer (Mr Asger Ibrahim Amin) under the above Civil Appeal,he has also been directed by the Apex Court to refund the Corporation’s contribution of PF with interest,but as he had filed the writ petition in the High Court with considerable delay, the Supreme Court has restricted the payment of arrears of pension to only three months before the date of his filing the writ petition in the High Court.There is no remission/restriction on what he has to refund to the Corporation, but there is a limitation on the arrears of pension that he could get upto 29/3/2012, the date he filed his Special Civil Application in the High Court. In other words, he will be required to refund 100% of the Corporation’s Contribution of PF while the arrears that he will be entitled to get upto March 2012 will be only 25% of total pension arrears from 1/11/1993.
Legal experts may give their views on whether there is a case for Mr Amin to file a Review Petition to release the pension arrears for the full period from 1/11/1993 as a wrong has been committed by the Corporation in not treating his resignation as deemed voluntary retirement notwithstanding his delayed application in the High Court..
Greetings.
C
H Mahadevan