Calcutta High Court (Appellete Side)
Umakanta Banerjee vs The State Of West Bengal & Ors on 1 October, 2021
W.P.A. 13847 of 2021
170 01.10.2021
Ct.05
(Through Video Conference)
rkd
Umakanta Banerjee
-vs-
The State of West Bengal & Ors.
Mr. Sandip Ghosh,
....for the petitioner.
Mr. Sudipta Panda
Mr. Sajal Kumar Pandit
....for the State.
Affidavit-of-service filed in Court is kept with
the record.
The writ petitioner is a retired teacher, who
superannuated on 30th November, 2016. After
superannuation of the writ petitioner, first Pension
Payment Order was issued on 17th October, 2016 and
as per the first Pension Payment Order disbursement
of retiral dues including gratuity amount were paid in
his favour on 11th January, 2017. Subsequently, due
to revision of pay as per ROPA 2019 revised Pension
Payment Order was issued on 28th January, 2021 and
the payment in terms of revised Pension Payment
Order was made in favour of the petitioner on 7th
February, 2021. The writ petitioner claims interest on
delayed payment of revised gratuity as per revised
Pension Payment Order.
The entitlement of the writ petitioner to
interest on delayed payment of gratuity due to
superannuation has already been decided in the writ
petition being W.P.No.4600(W) of 2019 (Rabindra
Kumar Bhattacharjee vs State of West Bengal and
Ors.) wherein upon placing reliance on judgment of
the Apex Court in the case of Union of India vs.
Tarsem Singh, reported in (2008) 8 SCC 648 on
condoning delay in approaching the Court for payment
of interest on gratuity the said writ petition was
allowed by extending the benefit on delayed payment of
gratuity upon due consideration of the fact that there
is no accrual of third party interest and matter relates
to payment of retiral dues.
Taking note of the observations made by the
coordinate Bench in the order dated 17th April, 2019
passed in W.P. No. 4600(W) of 2019 (Rabindra Kumar
Bhattacharjee vs. State of West Bengal and Ors.)
this Court finds it apposite to grant interest on gratuity
to the writ petitioner due to delay in releasing the said
amount.
Accordingly, the Director of Pension Provident
Fund and Group Insurance and the concerned
Treasury Officer are directed to pay interest at the rate
of Rs.8% per annum to the writ petitioner on delayed
payment of gratuity as per revised pension payment
order from 14th February, 2020 till the date of actual
disbursement of the revised gratuity amount in favour
of the retired teacher, within a period of eight weeks
from the date of communication of this order.
Since no affidavit is called for, the allegations
contained in the writ petition are deemed not to have
been admitted.
With the above observation, the writ petition
stands disposed of.
There shall be no order as to costs.
Urgent photostat certified copy of the order, if
applied for, be given to the parties, upon usual
undertakings.
(Saugata Bhattacharyya, J.)
