Punjab and Haryana high court orders timely pension benefits

The Punjab and Haryana high court has ruled that government offices must complete all pension-related formalities before an employee's retirement date to ensure timely disbursal of benefits. The court directed chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to issue a circular mandating heads of office to process pension papers eight months before superannuation, with penalties for failure.

Justice Sudeepti Sharma observed that ignorance of rules does not excuse delay, and employees should not suffer for the lethargy of their employer. The court was hearing a petition by Jasbir Singh, a retiree from Punjab's water and sanitation department who superannuated in June 2016 but received his retiral benefits only in 2017. The department had denied his interest claim, blaming him for late submission of documents.

The court rejected the department's defence, noting that the head of office must start the process 24 to 30 months before retirement to obtain necessary papers. It said delay cannot be blamed on an employee unless the employer shows the employee failed to deliver documents after being called for. The court granted Singh 9% interest for the delayed payment of all retiral benefits.