Revision of Pension of Pre 2006 Pensioners - RSCWS writes to the Minister of Finance

RAILWAYS SENIOR CITIZENS WELFARE SOCIETY
H.O 32, Phase- 6, Mohali, Chandigarh -160055

No. RSCWS/HO/CHD/ Memo / 2018-5

Dated: 21-05-2018

Hon. Minister of Finance, Govt. of India,
North Block, New Delhi-110001

Subject: Revision of Pension of Pre 2006 Pensioners – Reg: Benefit of Upgraded/Merged Posts by 6th CPC for fixing of Minimum of Revised pension of Pre-2006 Pensioners

Reference:- i) Resolution of GOI No. 38/37/08-P&PW (A) dated 29-8-08 & OM Dated 1-9-08,
ii) Para 5 of DOP&PW O.M. F.No. 38/37/08-P&PW (A) dated 11-2-2009 – (which has been quashed by various Courts but not withdrawn by the DOP&PW)
iii) DOP&PW O.M. F.No. 38/37/08-P&PW (A) dated 30-7-2015

Dear Sir,

We seek your benign intervention in the following matter of serious injustice with a section of Pre-2006 Central Government Pensioners:

1. Sixth Pay Commission had Merged and upgraded some posts keeping in view their duties & responsibilities. The recommendations of the Sixth CPC were accepted by the
Government vide Resolution of the Government Notified on 29-8-2008 and orders were issued thereon vide DOPT & DOPPW vide OMs dated 1-9-2008.

2. DOP&PW subsequently modified these orders vide O.M. File No. 38/37/08-P&PW (A) dated 11-2-2009 and ordered that the benefit of upgrading of posts by Sixth Pay Commission
shall not be given for the fixation of Revised Pension of Pre-2006 Pensioners.

3. Above cited orders of DOP&PW (dated 11-2-2009) had been quashed by the various Courts including the Apex Court, which inter-alia directed that “The fixation (of Pension) … will
be subject to the provision that the revised pension, in no case, shall be lower than 50% of the sum of the minimum of the pay in the pay band and the grade pay thereon corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale from which the pensioner had retired.” DOP&PW issued the orders thereon vide OM dated 1-9-2008.

4. DOP&PW vide OM No.38/37/08-P&PW(A) Dated 30th July, 2015, in compliance with the judicial pronouncements, had decided that the pension/family pension of all pre-2006
pensioners/family pensioners may be revised in accordance with this Department’s OM No.38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated 28.1.2013 with effect from 1.1.2006.

5. Para 5 of DOPPW OM dated 11-2-2009 had specifically been quashed by various Courts – including the High Court of New Delhi in WP(C) 3035/2016 dated 3-8-2016 in Ram Phal-vs-Union of India & Ors and CAT Bangalore in CP 237/2015 in OA 231/2013 (Parthasarthy-Vs-Union of India).

6. High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam had held as under in OP (CAT).No. 169 of 2015 (Z) in its judgment dated 18th January, 2016 UNION OF INDIA vs N.R.PURUSHOTHAMAN PILLAI:

“The resultant position that emerges from the pronouncement of the Central Administrative Tribunal as well as the different High Courts and the Apex Court is that, computation of pension in the matter of implementation of the 6th Pay Commission Report has to be at 50% of the pay scale with respect to the scale of pay applicable to the post in question and not to the corresponding scale of pay to the one at which the incumbent has retired.”

7. Regrettably the benefit of upgrading of posts was still not given to the Pre-2006 Pensioners in spite of the above cited judgments of various Courts. The benefit of the Court judgments on this had been restricted only to the Petitioners and not to other similarly placed Pre-2006 Pensioners.

8. This is totally discriminatory and violates Article 14 of the Constitution as well as under the settled law that the decisions taken in one specific case either by the Judiciary or the Govt.
should be applied to all other similar cases without forcing the other employees or pensioners to approach the court of law for an identical remedy or relief.

9. Delhi High Court in W.P.(C) 8012/2013 had held that “policy decision of the Government in the OM dated September 01, 2008 to fix pension for all categories of pensioners did not classify post of pre January 01, 2006 retirees and all were entitled to pension as per a common formula”

10. It is, therefore, requested that Pre-2006 Pensioners be given the benefit of upgraded Pay Band and Grade Pay of the post from which they retired so that minimum pension be not lower than 50% of the pay in the revised pay band plus the grade pay corresponding to the post from which the pensioner retired – as per DOPPW OM dated 30-7-2015.

Yours faithfully,