The Himachal Pradesh state government has issued orders to release the overdue revised gratuity payments to employees. The ruling made by the Himachal High Court covers former employees who retired after 2016.
This decision stems from a case brought forward by Gajraj Thakur against the higher education department of the Himachal government, prompting the High Court to intervene and direct the state government’s attention to the matter.
After the department forwarded the case, the finance department approved the payment of the overdue gratuity to Gajraj Thakur as per the court’s directive. This action has been formally communicated to the High Court by the Finance Secretary, specifying that the arrears are designated for the petitioner.
Previously, the Himachal government had not addressed gratuity revisions in its office orders dated 25 February, 2022, and 17 September, 2022, relating to the new Pay Commission. However, amendments to both orders have now been sanctioned.
This recent development could set a precedent for other retired employees to pursue legal avenues for relief, hinting at a potential change in how post-2016 retirees are treated regarding gratuity and associated entitlements.
Sometime back, around 15,000 employees from various departments including forest, water management, state transport and even medical college employees working for the Government of Himachal Pradesh faced salary delays. Their salaries which were earlier deposited in their accounts by the first week of every month were not credited even after two weeks. The fact that the state government was facing a scarcity of funds only added to the anxiety of the employees.