Sajal Kanti Mitra v. The State Of West Bengal And ORS

09.01.2023 Item No.33 Court No.02 SK Calcutta High Court In The Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri Appellate Side W.P.A. 3295 of 2022 Sajal Kanti Mitra -Vs- The State of West Bengal & Ors.

Mr. Shubhankar Dutta ......for the petitioner.

Mr. Hirak Barman, Ms. Bedashruti Bose ......for the State.

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

The petitioner was an approved Head Teacher of a Secondary school and retired from his said service on superannuation on January 31, 2020.

The first pension payment order of the petitioner was issued on February 18, 2020.

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 February 08, 2021, in terms of the said revised pension payment order, the petitioner received the arrear pension and gratuity on April 05, 2021.

The petitioner in the instant writ petition is claiming that he is entitled to interest for the delayed payment of the said arrear pension and gratuity 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. 3295 of 2022 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.)