The Supreme Court recently granted pension to a government employee under the Gujarat Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2022. The court noted that government servants earn pension as a reward for their dedicated service. Additionally, pension is often a significant factor for individuals considering government employment.
In this case, the person appealing was previously employed by the government. Initially, the petitioner worked for the Central government as a postal assistant in the Gandhinagar Postal Division. Later, they were selected for a senior assistant position in the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Government of Gujarat. The petitioner resigned from their postal assistant job after around ten years, to take up the new position. The petitioner worked as a senior assistant for 23 years.
The dispute arose when the state government only paid the petitioner for his service as a senior assistant, and not as a postal assistant. This decision was challenged in the High Court but was dismissed, leading to the current appeal.
It’s worth noting that Rule 25(ix) of the pension rules, includes service under the Central government or its autonomous bodies with a pension scheme as part of the qualifying service for government employees.
According to the division bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Satish Chandra Sharma, the purpose of the state government granting pensions is closely tied to its efforts to help former employees deal with the challenges of old age through a pension scheme.
