Government's attempt to block pensions defeated
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, February 06, 2011: The standoff between work-charge employees and the government over payment of pensions after retirement ended as government is understood to have started processing for payment even as the final ruling of the pending case is awaited.

An order of the Minor Irrigation Department issued on June 22, 2005 confirmed payment of pensions to 25 work-charge employees who had worked in the department for more than 10 years.

The list included 24 employees who died in service and one retired from service.

Payment of pensions had been blocked by the higher authorities of the government.

Since then work-charge employees of the department included in the list had been fighting the government in the courts for justice, after Mangolnganbi, wife of Athokpam Manaobi of Tera Loukrakpam Leikai, and Sobhapati wife of Ngangom Ibomcha, Sobabati of Kongba Khunou filed a filed a writ petition to the Gauhati High Court, Imphal Bench.

Both employees are deceased.

The court, in a ruling passed in 2006, directed the government to pay the pensions within six months from the date of passing the order.

With the authority's failure to comply with the directive, the two petitioners filed a contempt of court to the same court.

However, government appraised the court that the order issued by the Minor Irrigation Department on June 22, 2005 has been suppressed as the per the finance rules of the department framed in 2001. A single court suppressed the order and re-directed the government to comply with the order of the court passed in 2006 after a hearing of the court on September 5, 2008. A division bench of the same court heard a petition of the government against the order of the single bench and ruled in favour of the government on August 2010. Then the case reached to Supreme Court where the two petitioners filed a special leave petition.

After a hearing on January 17, 2011, the SC stayed the order of the division bench and reportedly fixed the date of final hearing on February 11. Interestingly, before the Supreme Court has given its final verdict, the pension cell of the Pay Implementation Department has, in a reply to the question asked by the Advocate General, informed that family pensions to the deceased work-charge employees can be paid with effect from June 21, 1990, an official source said.

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