We are in the crucial phase of our legal
struggle to protect our pensions from erosion of rupee value. The authors or
the case managers of the legal battle are literally fighting for posterity than
for themselves considering their ages. But what is unfortunately missing is the
direction of the struggle for lack of unanimity; understanding and appreciation
of vital legal points. Instead they are
being carried away by a temperament of ‘I KNOW ALL‘ stand taken. The attitude
on the part of the LIC CL.I OFFICERS FEDERATION (G N SRIDHARAN), AIREF (Jaipur)
not to talk of champions of class 3 employees AIIPA who are blissfully silent
in the entire struggle may be perhaps because of their dogmatic principle
that legal recourse is not the solution to the problem and has to be taken up
across the table with LIC Management is appalling. Because in the process Govt.
gets upper hand to deny what is legitimately due to the pensioners. Now in the
horizon, SC willy-nilly threw open an opportunity for most of the pensioners in
their twilight of most of their lives, without summarily dismissing all petitions
and judgments. It is now up to the prudence of grey haired and nil haired to rise
to the occasion and strengthen the hands of those who ever one feels fairly
competent to take us to shore even though the group or leadership entered the
fray in the very last moment.
Prolonging
the battle by filing review petitions in the SC may endanger the sympathy
already gained in the corridors of SC and not in the larger interests of vast
majority of pensioners. It may be suicidal in the circumstances and limiting
the relief to 40% DR arrears to pre 1997 retirees only. I therefore appeal to
the conscience and wisdom of the leaders of all organizations to sit together,
share fundamentally strong legal points, pool together all resources financial
and otherwise and come to a consensus to engage the best in the business of law
practice, meet all expenses from a common fund to be created at once by pooling
together whatever is collected/to be collected. Ego should have long left all
septuagenarians' minds to come together than any other sections of people.
Recently formed Hyderabad class1 officers Association has also done commendable
job to keep the legal issue live when Supreme Court is inclined to set aside but
actually set aside all previous judgments should be the front runner of the
platform to be launched. Highly resourceful organization, AIIPA (AIIEA) should
join the fray instead of indoctrinating the aged and senile on world economic
and domestic intolerance (so called).
G K VISWANATHAM
[Shri G K Viswanatham, Retd. from Vijayawada as Manager (Admn)]