Mudiappan.K v. The Chief General Manager

BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT DATED : 02.09.2025

CORAM:

THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE ABDUL QUDDHOSE K.Mudiappan ... Petitioner -vsThe Chief General Manager Employer Services / HR Department PRO Building, Block-2 Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited., Neyveli, Cuddalore-607 801 ... Respondent PRAYER: Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, to issue a writ of certiorarified mandamus to call for the records of the respondent in Lr.No.CORP/HR/ES/1316/CPGRAMS-60/2020 dated 14.10.2020 and to quash the same as devoid of merits consequentially directing the respondent to grant the Post Retirement Medical Assistance (PRMA) Scheme monitory aid for the year 2016-2017 to the petitioner.

For Petitioner :

Ms.Pavithra for Mr.A.Haja Mohideen For Respondent :

Mr.K.R.Laxman, SCGSC

O R D E R

This writ petition has been filed challenging the impugned order dated 14.10.2020, passed by the respondent, rejecting the petitioner's request for payment of Post Retirement Medical Assistance for the year 2016-2017, on the ground that the petitioner did not produce the life certificate on or before the deadline fixed under NLCIL-Post Retirement Medical Assistance (PRMA) Scheme.

2. Admittedly, the petitioner is eligible to avail medical assistance under the aforementioned Scheme. The petitioner has also been provided with the medical assistance under the aforementioned Scheme from 2017-2018 onwards and only for the year 2016-2017, the amount has not been paid to him, on the ground that he did not submit the life certificate on or before the deadline fixed under the aforementioned Scheme. The petitioner categorically contends that he has submitted the life certificate on 21.10.2017 on or before

the deadline, which falls on 31.10.2017, for availing the benefit of medical assistance for the year 2016-2017. However, the said contention has been disputed by the respondent, as seen from his counter filed before this Court. The respondent contended that the petitioner has tampered the date of the life certificate by wrongly quoting the date as 21.10.2017. According to the respondent, there are two dates found in the life certificate filed by the petitioner along with this writ petition and therefore, the life certificate is a fabricated document.

3. Admittedly, the petitioner has been receiving the benefit under the NLCIL-Post Retirement Medical Assistance (PRMA) Scheme continuously excepting for the year 2016-2017 by producing the life certificate within the deadline date fixed under the said Scheme. Only for the year 2016-2017, the petitioner has been deprived of the benefit under the aforesaid Scheme. The petitioner also categorically contends that he had submitted the life certificate before the deadline fixed under the Scheme by submitting the same on 21.10.2017. Though the respondent has disputed the contention of the petitioner that he had submitted the life certificate on time, this Court is of the considered view that since the petitioner has produced the life certificate,

which discloses the date of the life certificate as 21.10.2017, the statement of the petitioner has to be believed, in view of the fact that the petitioner has been receiving the benefit under the NLCIL-Post Retirement Medical Assistance (PRMA) Scheme continuously for several years and has not been granted the benefit only for the year 2016-2017. Though the respondent contends that the document produced by the petitioner before this Court is a fabricated document, there is no conclusive evidence produced by the respondent to prove that the document produced by the petitioner is a fabricated document. Therefore, the benefit of doubt should be given to the petitioner.

4. For the foregoing reasons, the impugned order dated 14.10.2020, passed by the respondent, is hereby quashed and this writ petition is allowed by directing the respondent to disburse the amounts payable to the petitioner under NLCIL-Post Retirement Medical Assistance (PRMA) Scheme for the year 2016-2017, within a period of eight weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. However, this order shall not be treated as a precedent in future matters arising out of the NLCIL-Post Retirement Medical Assistance (PRMA) Scheme, wherein the applicant did not

satisfy the requirements. It is also to be noted that the purpose of requiring the applicant to produce the life certificate is to ensure that the applicant is alive at the time of submitting the application. Since the petitioner herein has availed the benefit of the aforementioned Scheme for the subsequent years, the question of depriving him of the same benefit for the year 2016-2017 does not arise. No costs.

02.09.2025 NCC :

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ABDUL QUDDHOSE, J.

krk 02.09.2025