Krishna Banerjee(Bhowmik) v. The State Of West Bengal And ORS

07.03.2024 Item No.49 Court No.2 AJ.

In the High Court at Calcutta Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri Appellate Side W.P.A. 446 of 2024 Krishna Banerjee (Bhowmik) -Vs- The State of West Bengal & Ors.

Mr. Debajit Kundu.

......for the petitioner.

Ms. Bedashruti Bose, Mr. Kumar Shantanu.

......for the State.

Affidavit-of-service filed by the learned advocate for the petitioner be kept with the record.

The petitioner was an approved Assistant Teacher of a Primary school and retired from her said service on superannuation on October 31, 2016. The first pension payment order of the petitioner was issued on October 28, 2016.

Under the ROPA Rules, 2019, there was revision of the pension, gratuity and computation of pension of the pensioners vide Memorandum of the Government of West Bengal bearing No.

53/ES/P/P&B/10M-99/2019 dated February 14, 2020 and the revised pension payment order of the petitioner under ROPA, 2019 was issued on August 17, 2021 and in terms thereof, the petitioner received the arrear pension and gratuity on August 17, 2021. The petitioner in the instant writ petition is claiming that she is entitled to interest for the delayed payment of the said gratuity and arrear

pension and is praying issuance of writ of mandamus commanding the Director of Pension, Provident Fund and Group Insurance and the concerned Treasury Officer, the respondents herein, to pay such interest.

Learned Advocate for the State respondents does not oppose the prayer of the petitioner. It is now well settled that the petitioner is entitled to the interest, as prayed for.

The aforementioned respondents are, therefore directed to pay interest on the revised gratuity and revised arrear pension @ 8% per annum from the date of notification of the aforesaid Government order i.e. February 14, 2020 till the date of payment of revised gratuity and revised arrear pension in terms of the said revised Pension payment order.

The payment, as aforesaid, shall be made within a period of twelve weeks from the date of communication of this order, in default, the said arrears amount shall fetch an additional interest of 2% per annum.

W.P.A. 446 of 2024 stands disposed of with the above directions. There shall be no order as to costs. Urgent photostat certified copy of this order, if applied for, be supplied to the parties subject to compliance with all requisite formalities.

(Biswajit Basu, J.)