“Pension Is A Legal Right, Not A Charity”: Calcutta High Court

Delhi Court

The Calcutta High Court has ruled that pensions and retirement benefits are legal entitlements earned through years of service and must not be delayed, even by a single day.

The court criticized the Hooghly Chinsurah Municipality for attributing delays in pension disbursement to technological issues

Justice Gaurang Kanth emphasized that any delay in disbursing pensions causes undue hardship to retired employees who depend on these dues for their sustenance. The case involved 148 retired Group D workers whose pensions were withheld due to administrative lapses in integrating their data into a new digital pension portal.

The court directed the municipality to submit all necessary documents to the directorate within a week and for the latter to complete the redesignation process within two weeks. If there are insufficient vacant posts, the municipality must create supernumerary positions to facilitate the release of pensions within four weeks.

Justice Kanth stated that technological transitions should not disadvantage pensioners and warned that administrative lapses undermine principles of equity and good governance.

This ruling reinforces the legal status of pensions and aims to ensure accountability in municipal administrations regarding the welfare of former employees.