KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday ordered to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the Managing Director of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and the State Transport Secretary.
Justice V Chitambaresh observed that a prima facie case has been established by the petitioners in the contempt cases and hence it was referred to the Division Bench for further hearing. The court passed the order on a petition filed by KSRTC pensioners organisation seeking contempt of court action against V M Gopala Menon, the government Secretary for Transport Department, and Antony Chacko, MD of KSRTC for disobeying the direction of the court to pay the monthly pension.
KSRTC submitted that only a sum of `3,800 per employee has been disbursed towards pension for the month of September,2014, and the balance of pension for the month of October 2014 has not been paid.
The court observed that the retired employees of the Corporation cannot be kept on tenterhooks without disbursing the monthly pension payable to them. The court had passed an interim order asking the KSRTC to pay the monthly pension to the employees within one month after it becomes due. Considering the submissions, the court held that a prima facie case has been established by the petitioners.