Ludhiana: Agri varsity seeks more time from HC to pay arrears, pensioners flay move
In September, the university moved the court and apprised it that it was not able to pay the arrears as it was not getting the financial help required from the state government
Despite being directed by the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) to disburse within six months the revised pension arrears under the sixth pay commission to faculty members who retired before January 2016, the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has failed to do so, the PAU pensioners’ association said on Thursday. The association also flayed the university for filing a letters patent appeal (LPA) against the single bench order on Wednesday.
“We were not given the benefit of the sixth pay commission revisions adopted by the university in 2023. We went to the high court in March last year and then in December following which the court directed the varsity to revise the pensions in four weeks and disburse the arrears from 2016 till the month of implementation of the pay revision within a period of six months,” said association vice president SPS Brar, who retired as a professor in 2005.
While the university did revise the pensions in February this year, the arrears, however, remained unpaid. As the stipulated period of six months ended, the PAU Pensioners Teachers Association moved the high court with a contempt petition. On August 28, the PAU sought more time from the court so the matter was adjourned until October 28.
In September, the university moved the court and apprised it that it was not able to pay the arrears as it was not getting the financial help required from the state government. The university requested the court to modify its December order, but the single judge bench dismissed the application and directed the PAU to pay the arrears and then ask the state government for reimbursement. On Wednesday, the advocates appearing for PAU filed an LPA (letters patent appeal) pertaining to the December 2024 order. The hearing on the LPA, under which an appeal is filed against a decision of a single-judge bench before a two-judge bench of the same court, will be heard on November 19. The contempt hearing is on December 3.
The executive committee of the pensioners’ association met on Thursday. Association president Rachhpal Singh Kahlon and vice president SPS Brar, who were present during the hearing, said, “During the hearing related to the contempt petition, the university said that it needed time to comply with the HC order. But then it filed the letters patent appeal against the single judge’s order. This shows that while the university accepts the order is right, it still wants the order to be changed.”
“This shows that they aren’t serious about paying the arrears. They are just vying for time before they can get the decision revised,” they added.
Regarding the letters patent appeal, the court noted, “Learned senior counsel for the appellants inter alia submits that the appellants are not challenging the judgment of the single bench on merits, but it is unable to comply with the judgment due to financial difficulty. The grants have to be released by the state government and only thereafter, the appellant-university would be in a position to disburse the arrears of pension as directed by the single bench.”
Multiple attempts were made to establish contact with PAU vice chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal, but didn’t respond.
