Pulling up officials of the Accountant General’s office
for delaying the payment of pension to a health official for over nine
years, the Madras High Court asked the authorities how they would feel
if they were in the retired official’s position .
“It
is unfortunate that working officers forget that they will retire one
day and will be in need of pension and if they are in this position, how
they would feel?” the first Bench comprising Chief Justice S.K. Kaul
and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam asked, passing orders on a contempt
petition.
In a social structure like ours, the “only
form of security” was pension and petitioners have been made to run from
pillar to post for it, the Bench said and directed the authorities to
process the petitioner’s case within a month and posted the matter for
July 16.
Ten years after joining the health
department as health visitor, petitioner K. Sarojamma was promoted as
Community Health Member in February 1989. As per a GO issued, she was
eligible for the pay scale as community health member from February 6,
1989. But in 2004, the Deputy Director of Health Services re-fixed her
salary and further ordered for recovery of excess amount paid since
1989.
Appeal dismissed
When
the petitioner moved the High Court, a single judge dismissed her
appeal, which she challenged before a Division Bench. Despite the Bench
allowing her appeal, the order was not complied with by officials and
hence the contempt petition against the Director of Public Health and
Preventive Medicine and Deputy Director of Health Services. The Bench
further directed the Accountant General to process the case
expeditiously.