HC directs Panjab University to clear pension arrears within 3 months
Chief Justice Sheel Nagu was hearing a batch of petitions, including one by R.D. Anand, challenging the university's delay in paying arrears arising from the revision of pension for pre-2016 retirees, as per the 6th Pay Commission recommendations.
The pensioners had argued that although Panjab University began paying them the revised pensions prospectively from October 1, 2024, following a Punjab government notification dated October 23, 2019, arrears from 2018 to 2024 were still unpaid.
The university had earlier reduced pension payments for the employees who had retired before 2016 based on a now-withdrawn Punjab government notification dated August 13, 2015, which had triggered litigation and recovery proceedings in 2017 and 2018.
During Tuesday's hearing, the university conceded that arrears had not been paid and sought six months' time, citing the large number of beneficiaries — over 200 retirees, including 137 petitioners — and the need to secure funds from the Punjab government and Centre. However, the court only granted three months, cautioning that further delay would attract interest.
'For a pensioner, every rupee is precious,' Chief Justice Nagu observed, stressing that the university had already taken a year since the September 2024 order to compute arrears.
The university's counsel admitted that the pension revision exercise, ordered after the withdrawal of the earlier audit-backed order, had been completed. The only issue now, he said, was the calculation and disbursal of arrears.
The bench also clarified that the benefit of arrears would be extended to non-petitioner pensioners as well, and granted liberty to the university to approach the Punjab government for release of funds.
The impugned orders reducing pension — issued between 2016 and 2018 based on the now-revoked 2015 notification — were also set aside as a necessary consequence of the pension revision.
The court directed that compliance be monitored and any delay beyond the stipulated period would attract the penal interest rate. The matter is part of a long-standing battle by retired Panjab University faculty and staff for the correct implementation of pension revisions.
Advocate Abhijeet Singh Rawaley, representing a group of petitioners who had approached the court in 2018, said Tuesday's verdict brings to a close a long-drawn legal battle that began after the Punjab government issued a notification on August 13, 2015, reducing the pension of pre-2016 retirees. 'Though the Punjab government withdrew the notification in 2019, the university continued to pay reduced pension to pre-2016 retirees until October 2024. Now, with the court's order, they will have to pay the arrears as well,' he said.
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News18
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As an interim measure, lest any rights are created, the impugned Land Pooling Policy, 2025, notified on May 14 and June 6 and subsequently amended on July 25 shall remain stayed," read the court order. The order stated, "after hearing submissions of all parties, this court is of the opinion that the state proposes to take over tens of thousands of acres of fertile land in the entire state of Punjab for carrying out its proposed development work, without carrying out any social impact assessment or environmental impact assessment study, although a stand is taken that the assessment would be carried out later when they have definite information about the number of land owners who have opted for the scheme." The court said it has been held by the Supreme Court in several cases that before permitting urban development, the State ought to carry out an environmental impact assessment. The bench said it is also apparent that no timelines have been prescribed nor any mechanism has been provided that will address the grievances of the affected persons. "Payment of subsistence allowance has been provided to the land owners, but there is no provision for rehabilitation of those landless labourers, artisans and others who are dependent on the land." It has also been submitted before this court that the State's statutory bodies shall themselves develop the land but no budgetary provisions appear to have been made nor anything has been put forth before this court to indicate that the State has adequate resources to finance the development project under the policy, said the order. Referring to the submissions of the amicus curiae, the court said it has come across several instances wherein the owners have surrendered their land to the state development authority under the earlier land pooling policy, but the developed plots have not been allotted even after 10 years. In response to the court's query regarding any provision for rehabilitation of landless labourers, artisans, MGNREGA workers and those carrying out other occupations in the villages, the counsel appearing for the state of Punjab submitted that whatever concerns need to be addressed, shall be looked into at an appropriate stage by the government. No private builder would be allocated the land for any developmental activities and the development would be carried out by the state's statutory bodies, the counsel submitted. The amicus curiae informed the court that the costs for such development project will be in the vicinity of ₹1.25 crore per acre, and considering that land measuring about 7,806 acres is to be taken over by the state government in Ludhiana district alone, a budget of about ₹10,000 crore would have to be allocated for the development in one district alone. 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"That no such social impact assessment report was either prepared or published, as per the provisions of law, moreover, none of the Gram Panchayats or Gram Sabha were approached or consulted by the respondents before bringing the Land Pooling Policy 2025, which is clear disregard to the provisions mandated under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013," said the petition. The A government has been facing flak from the opposition parties and various farmer bodies, which dubbed its land pooling policy a "looting" scheme to "rob" the farmers of their fertile land. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
