CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the Chief Secretary and Secretary of Panchayati Raj department to ensure payment of entire retirement dues and pensionary benefits to a former employee within one month, bringing to end his post-superannuation suffering at the age of 88.
Kashinath Rath had retired 29 years ago, but is yet to get his retirement dues and pensionary benefits due to a dispute over the date of his superannuation. While Odisha Administrative Tribunal (OAT) had in its verdict on November 21, 2000 ruled that January 31, 1992 was the date of retirement of Kashinath, the government had challenged the tribunal’s order in the HC.
Then the government had went on to challenge the HC order in Supreme Court. But the Apex Court had dismissed it on September 19, 2012. When the order was not complied, Kashinath turned to the tribunal again in 2015. Following abolition of OAT, the matter was transferred to the HC on January 29, 2021.
After taking up the matter, the single-judge bench of Justice Biswanath Rath noted with surprise that the petitioner who was in his 88th years of age is still in litigation seeking a direction for release of admitted retiral dues along with appropriate interest.
Justice Rath directed the authorities to undertake the calculation of the entire retiral dues of Kashinath treating him to have been retired since January 31, 1992 along with calculation of pensionary benefits, if any, with effect from February 1, 1992 and release both the amount by completing the entire exercise within a month.