New Delhi: Only nine persons who retired from the same company have so far received the higher PF pensions in the country, in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict issued 15 months ago. The pensions were given to former employees of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC). RC Gupta and others, who are presently engaged in a legal dispute regarding pension matters, are all former employees of HPTDC. They have approached the court, raising concerns about the methodology employed in calculating the pensions.
It was on November 4, 2022 that the Supreme Court issued a verdict to provide higher pension to the EPF members on the basis of their accurate salaries. The deadline for availing the option was extended multiple times. 17.5 lakh persons applied for it.
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Balak Ram Chauhan, who retired from HPTDC last December, was the first person to receive the pay order for the higher PF pension. Following that, Jabe Ram and Hari Ram also received the pay orders. But sadly, Jabe Ram passed away after receiving his first pension. On February 19, 2024, six more persons received the pay orders. Even though procedures have been initiated in other states, including Kerala, for issuing higher PF pensions, no pay orders have been delivered so far.
Legal Battle
The employees of the HPTDC will wage a legal battle against the method of cutting down on pensions by differentiating between the service periods prior and post September 2024. This is very much in contradiction to the Supreme Court verdict of determining the pensions based on the average salary of the last 60 months in service.
Former HPTDC employee Madan Sharma, the latest person to receive the pay order, told Mathrubhumi that he will file a writ petition against the particular EPFO action at the Himachal Pradesh High Court. In total, 650 employees of HPTDC, who had retired after September 2014, are planning to approach the high court with similar concerns.
Source: mathrubhumi.com
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