Ajay Kumar Singh v. State of U.P. Thru. Secy. Deptt. of Secondary Education Civil Secrt. Lko. and Others

Court No. - 1 Case :- SPECIAL APPEAL DEFECTIVE No. - 910 of 2023 Appellant :- Ajay Kumar Singh Respondent :- State Of U.P. Thru. Secy. Deptt. Of Secondary Education Civil Secrt. Lko. And Others Counsel for Appellant :- Prashant Srivastava,Amit Trivedi,Arunendra Nath Mishra Counsel for Respondent :- C.S.C. Hon'ble Attau Rahman Masoodi,J. Hon'ble Om Prakash Shukla,J. (C.M. Application No.1 of 2023: Application for Condonation of Delay)

¶1Heard learned counsel for the appellant and Shri Anil Kumar Singh Visen, learned Standing Counsel for State-respondents.

¶2There is delay of 145 days in filing the special appeal. The appeal is accompanied with an application for condonation of delay supported by an affidavit.

¶3Learned State Counsel representing the respondents does not have any objection, if delay in filing the instant appeal is condoned and the matter is heard on merits.

¶4Cause shown in the affidavit filed in support of application for condonation of delay is satisfactory and in absence of any objection, application for condonation of delay is allowed and delay in filing the special appeal is hereby condoned. (order on appeal)

¶5The intra-Court appeal filed under Chapter VIII Rule 5 of Allahabad High Court Rules, 1952 has challenged the judgment/order dated 31.05.2023 passed by the writ Court in Writ-A No.4408 of 2023.

¶6Although the post retiral dues in the nature of commutation of pension on the basis of appellant's having applied online and praying for 40% commutation was processed and reimbursed to his account on 02.08.2022. However, prior thereto, in the application filed offline on 14.06.2022, there is no such request for commutation of pension to the extent of 40%. The appellant-petitioner has submitted that the online application requesting for 40% commutation on 29.06.2022 was submitted by some clerk of the office and the mistake had inadvertently crept in.

¶7It is under these circumstances, that the appellant-petitioner has prayed that the amount reimbursed in his account to the tune of 40% commutation of pension may be permitted to be returned to the State so that the entitlement of pension admissible to him is considered and decided in its entirety. The Pension Payment Order may accordingly be modified so that the arrears of pension as well as the regular pension may be paid to the petitioner, in accordance with law.

¶8The rectification of any discrepancy or withdrawal of any request is permissible in terms of Rule 11 of U.P. Civil Pension (Commutation) Rules, 1941 (hereinafter referred to as "Rules, 1941"), which for ready reference is extracted below:- "11. (1) ननियम 7 कके उप-ननियम (1) कके परन्ततुक कके अधधीनि ममामलोሴ कको छकोड़कर पपशनिभकोगधी यनदि वह ऐसमा चमाहके, यथमाससथनत, रमाज्य सरकमार यमा रमानशकरण सवधीककत करनिके कके ललए सश्ሹ पमालधकमारधी यमा भमारत कके उच्चमायतु्ሹ कको लललखित निकोनटिस दमारमा, लजिससके नक वह उस नदिनिमााሪक कके जिब रमानशकरण असन्तम हको जिमायके, पपूवर उ्ሹ पमालधकमारधी कके पमास पहहुሺचके, अपनिके आवकेदिनि-प्ቔ कको वमापस लके सकतमा हहै।

(2) यनदि वह खिण्ड (1) मप नवननिनदिर्ቖ अवलध कके भधीतर अपनिमा आवकेदिनि वमापस निहीሻ लकेतमा, तको रमानशकरण असन्तम हको जिमायकेगमा, पपशनि कके रमानशककत भमाग कको पमा्቎ करनिके कमा अलधकमार सममा्቎ हको जिमायकेगमा और रमानशककत मपूल्य कको पमा्቎ करनिके कमा हक उस नतलथ सके पकोदपूत हकोगमा, लजिससके रमानशकरण पभमावधी हको। रमानशककत मपूल्य कमा भतुगतमानि, यथमासम्भव, उस नतलथ सके नकयमा जिमायकेगमा जिब सके रमानशकरण पभमावधी हको, नकन्ततु वमासतनवक भतुगतमानि ककी नतलथ चमाहके जिको हको, साሪदि्ቈ धनिरमानश तथमा पपशनि पर पभमाव निहीሻ हकोगमा, ममानिोሴ रमानशककत मपूल्य उस नतलथ कको अदिमा नकयमा गयमा थमा, लजिसकको रमानशकरण असन्तम हको गयमा थमा। यनदि पपशनि कमा रमानशककत भमाग उस नतलथ कके बमादि आहररत नकयमा गयमा हहै लजिस पर रमानशकरण आत्यसन्तक हको जिमातमा हहै, तको आहररत धनिरमानश कको रमानशकरण मप साሪदिकेय धनिरमानश सके कम कर ललयमा जिमाएगमा।

(3) ननियम-7 कके उप-ननियम (1) कके परन्ततुक कके अधधीनि आनिके वमालके ममामलके मप, पपशनिभकोगधी कको अपनिमा आवकेदिनि-प्ቔ वमापस लकेनिके कमा हक निहीሻ हकोगमा और और रमानशकरण उस नदिनिमााሪक कको असन्तम हहआ समझमा जिकोयगमा जिब रमानशकरण कके ललयके आवकेदिनि-प्ቔ, जिको सभधी पकमार सके पपूणर हको, नवभमागमाध्यक/कमायमारलयमाध्यक कको पमा्቎ हको जिमायके।"

¶9It is also to be noted that the commutation of pension as per the rules cannot be allowed unless the medical certificate of the pensioner is duly submitted which in the present case was not filed by the petitioner-appellant to fulfill the requisites meaning thereby that he had no intention of making a request for commutation of pension as permitted under law. This position remains undisputed.

¶10Shri Anil Kumar Singh Visen, learned Standing Counsel, has brought to our notice a Government Order dated 30.11.2021 which prescribed the total procedure for processing of post retiral dues online. This, however, does not suggest that the benefit available to an employee under Rule 11 of Rules, 1941 extracted above stands obliterated. A Government Order cannot override the statutory rules, thus, the benefit of withdrawal of requests being admissible within the scope of Rule 11 of Rules, 1941 ought to have been granted.

¶11In the circumstances of the case, we hereby set aside the impugned order dated 31.05.2023 passed by the writ court. The competent authority is directed to reconsider the appellant-petitioner's request for issuing a fresh Pension Payment Order having regard to all the relevant details after return of the amount reimbursed to his account.

¶12This exercise shall be completed not later than a period of two months from the date of production of a copy of this order.

¶13With the aforesaid observation and direction, the instant special appeal as well as the writ petition stands disposed of.

¶14We also expected the authority concerned to make necessary compliance of the requisites as prescribed under the rules in the matter of processing the pension cases henceforth. (Om Prakash Shukla, J.) (Attau Rahman Masoodi, J.) Order Date :- 6.12.2023 Shubhankar High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, Lucknow Bench