E-Paper
CAT stays Chandigarh PGI’s decision to reduce pension of five retirees
The five PGI, Chandigarh, retirees had approached CAT on May 24 against PGIMER’s decision to reduce their monthly pension without citing any reasons,
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Friday stayed the decision of PGIMER, Chandigarh, to reduce the pension of five retirees by applying the Punjab Civil Service Pension Rules.
The bench presided by Rashmi Saxena Sahni and Suresh Kumar Batra directed PGIMER to file a short reply regarding interim relief by the next hearing on July 13. In the meantime, the hospital is restrained from reducing the applicants’ pension.
The five petitioners include Tilak Raj Sharma, 73, who retired as assistant administrative officer, PGIMER; Sat Pal Bhardwaj, 76, former office superintendent; and Jawahar Lal Arora, 69, Satish Kumar Gupta, 71,and Ashok Kumar Malhotra, 76, all former technical lab assistants.
They had approached CAT on May 24 against PGIMER’s decision to reduce their monthly pension without citing any reasons, passing any official order or issuing show-cause in complete violation of principles of natural justice.
According to the petition, the institute had adopted the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, in 1975. All petitioners retired between 2007 and 2014, and were paid all retirement benefits like pension, gratuity, commutation of pension, leave encashment, under the aforementioned pension rules.
But their pension was suddenly reduced in April without any information, official order or show-cause notice.
All five applicants were drawing basic pension of ₹36,147, ₹34,502, ₹44,076, ₹38,614 and ₹42,791, respectively, as of March 2023.
These were reduced to ₹34,452, ₹32,884, ₹42,010, ₹36,802 and ₹40,785, respectively, in April.
The gross pension of applicants for April 2023 was reduced despite the fact that the 4% dearness allowance approved by the central government from January 1, 2023, was added and the total dearness allowance was increased.
After enquiries by the applicants, it was informed verbally that their pension had been re-fixed from January 1, 2016, under the Punjab Civil Service Pension Rules, but no reason or document was provided, the petition added.
Around 500 retirees under Punjab Pay scales are drawing pension under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, for over 35 years. The employees, who retired before 1975 were not granted pension under the Punjab Civil Service Pension Rules, as they were under the CPF Scheme.
