NEW DELHI: Around 15 short-service commission women officers of the Indian Army are yet to receive pension nearly a year after their retirement following over 20 years of service, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday.
The women officers have not received the pension notwithstanding an order by the Supreme Court in February 2020 that had paved the way for extending the pension benefit to the women officers with a service tenure of 20 years.
When asked, a senior official in the defence ministry said the issue has been resolved and the women officers will get the pension soon.
The people cited above said the problem arose due to a new online pension disbursal system called SPARSH that was rolled out last year.
The Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions) (PCDA-P) headquartered in Allahabad handles the new system.
After two women officers took up the matter with the department of ex-servicemen welfare (DESW) of the defence ministry, it sent a communication to the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) on Monday referring to the Supreme Court order on granting of Permanent Commission to service commission women officers.
The PCDA (P) comes under the administrative control of the CGDA. The DESW cited the court order to highlight that SSC women officers with over 20 years of service are eligible for the pension benefits.
"In view of the above, CGDA is requested to kindly look into the matter and comply with the orders of Supreme Court and pensionary benefits may be granted to all eligible women short service commissioned officers who come under the ambit of the Supreme Court order," the DESW said in the communication.
In the order, the court said that "short service commission women officers with over 20 years of service who are not granted PC (permanent commission) shall retire on pension in terms of the (government's) policy decision.
Two women officers said it is the PCDA (P), Allahabad which is creating the problem as it raised "unnecessary objections" after giving pension to a number of other women officers.
"It is almost a year's wait for the pension to be granted...The decision that we took for release (from Army) was because of pressing issues at the home front. We planned our lives accordingly. It is disappointing that we are yet to get our pension," said Lt Colonel (retd) Sarita Satija.