DRDA employees not entitled to rise in retirement age from 58 to 60 years: HC

In a significant judgement, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday ruled that employees of a District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) in Uttar Pradesh were not government servants and hence they were not entitled to a rise in their retirement age from 58 to 60 years unlike those who held civil posts.

In a significant judgement, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday ruled that employees of a District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) in Uttar Pradesh were not government servants and hence they were not entitled to a rise in their retirement age from 58 to 60 years unlike those who held civil posts.

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The order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice F I Rebello and Justice A P Sahi while allowing a bunch of special appeals filed by the state government whereby a single judge order of the court was challenged.

The single judge had, while deciding petitions filed by a number of DRDA employees, held that they too were entitled to a rise in their age of superannuation like other government servants and ordered that their retirement age be raised to 60 years.

However, the Division Bench set aside the single judge order observing that DRDA was an agency registered under the Societies Act and hence its employees "not government servants nor they could be said to be holder of civil posts".