Devinder Kumar Dhawan And ORS v. Union Of India And ORS
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0") "% ! : The issue in hand involves the applicability of amended Regulation 4.3 (as notified in the official gazette vide notification dated 08.02.2021) on the pensioners who have retired prior to the said date i.e. 08.02.2021.
9.
In a similar situation, a Constitution Bench of Hon'ble Supreme Court in D.S. Nakara & Others v. Union of India (1983) 1 SCC 305 observed as under:
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GH '9 When the case in hand is seen in the light of the legal position indicated above, it is observed that the pensioner form a homogeneous class in itself and the respondents have failed to put forth any circumstance to justify the classification sought to be carved out by them i.e. to say that the petitioners who stood retired prior to date of notification of amended Regulation 4.3 i.e. 08.02.2021 are not entitled to re-fixation of their pension.
11.
In my considered view, the artificial distinction based on the cut-off date, as sought to be argued on behalf of the respondents, is neither based on any rationale nor is a reasonable classification to carve out a class within a class of the pensioners who retired prior to 08.02.2021 and thus render them as not entitled to the benefits of the amended provision of Regulation 4.3 (as notified in the official Gazette on 08.02.2021). Such a classification would be in the teeth of the judgment rendered in the case of D S Nakara (supra) and would be impermissible in law. Therefore, the petitioners who are pre - 08.02.2021 retirees are entitled to the benefit of re-fixation of their pension(s) based on amended Regulation 4.3 (as notified on 08.02.2021), however the arrears of pension (as per fresh computation) prior to 08.02.2021 are not admissible. The arrears of pension (as per fresh computation) shall be admissible and payable only with effect from 08.02.2021 onwards.
12.
The respondents are directed to carry out necessary re-fixation of pension of the petitioners and release the same alongwith arrears in terms of the observations made above within a period of three months from the
1 date of receipt/presentation of the certified copy of this order. 13.
The writ petition is accordingly disposed of in aforestated terms.
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