Central Administrative Tribunal - Allahabad
Ashok Kumar vs East Central Railway on 8 May, 2026
1
Open Court
CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL
ALLAHABAD BENCH
ALLAHABAD.
Dated : This the 08th day of May, 2026
Original Application No. 330/406 of 2025
Hon'ble Mr. Rajnish Kumar Rai, Member (J)
1. No 27504795167 Ashok Kumar, Retired Loco Pilot (Goods),
Aged about 66 years, PF No. 4795167, PPO No
20197300600037 Son of Ram Udgar Singh, Resident of
40G/7B Chak Mundera, Dhoomanganj, Prayagraj, U.P.
. . .Applicant.
By Adv : Mr. Chaturbhuj Dwivedi.
VERSUS
1. Union of India, through the General Manager, East Central
Railway, Deen Dayaal Upadhyay.
2. Divisional Railway Manager (P), East Central Railway, Deen
Dayaal Upadhyay.
3. Senior Divisional personnel Officer, office of Divisional
Railway Manager (P), East Central Railway, Deen Dayaal
Upadhyay.
4. Senior Divisional Finance Manager, office of Divisional
Railway Manager (P), East Central Railway, Deen Dayaal
Upadhyay.
. . . Respondents.
By Adv: Mr. Bashist Tiwari.
ORDER
Heard Mr. Chaturbhuj Dwivedi, learned counsel for the applicant and Mr. Bashist Tiwari, learned counsel for the respondents.
2. The instant original application has been filed seeking following reliefs: -
"(i) This Hon'ble Tribunal may graciously be pleased to quash the order dated 03.04.2025 for rejection to refund the Shakuntala Singh 2 amount deducted against RELHS membership passed by the respondent No.2 (Annexure No. A-1).
(ii) This Hon'ble Tribunal may graciously be pleased to direct the respondents to refund the RELHS (Retired Employees Liberalised Health Scheme) membership amount of Rs 54,000/-
along with the interest from the next date of retirement i.e. 01 Feb 2019.
(iii) Any other relief, which this Hon'ble Tribunal may deem fit and proper in the circumstances of the case may be given in favour of the applicant.
(iv) Award the costs of the original application in favour of the applicant."
3. The brief facts of the case, as pleaded in the Original Application, are that the applicant, an ex-serviceman, after retirement from the Indian Air Force, joined the Railways and superannuated on 31.01.2019 from the post of Loco Pilot (Goods). At the time of retirement, an amount of Rs.54,000/- was deducted from his retiral dues towards RELHS membership. Subsequently, the respondents disabled the applicant's UMID card on the ground that being an ex- serviceman he could not avail RELHS facilities. Thereafter, the applicant submitted several representations seeking refund of the deducted amount on the ground that no medical facility under RELHS had been extended to him, however, the respondents rejected his claim vide impugned order dated 03.04.2025. Being aggrieved by the said action of the respondents, the applicant has filed the present Original Application seeking refund of the deducted amount along with consequential reliefs.
4. Learned counsel for the applicant submitted that the impugned order dated 03.04.2025, whereby the claim of the applicant for refund of Rs.54,000/- deducted towards RELHS contribution has been rejected on the ground that the applicant had filled the undertaking/option form, is wholly arbitrary and illegal. He further submitted that at the time of retirement the applicant was informed by the concerned Shakuntala Singh 3 authorities that deduction towards RELHS was mandatory for availing medical facilities from Railway Hospitals and accordingly the amount of Rs.54,000/- was deducted from his retiral dues. Learned counsel for the applicant further submitted that the applicant is an ex-serviceman and is already availing medical facilities under the ECHS Scheme of the Defence Ministry and subsequently the respondents themselves disabled/deactivated the UMID card of the applicant on the ground that being an ex-serviceman he could not avail RELHS facilities. He further submitted that after coming to know about deactivation of the UMID card, the applicant submitted representation before the respondents for refund of the deducted amount and the same was also forwarded by the Senior Divisional Personnel Officer, DDU vide letter dated 01.01.2025 recommending refund of the amount deducted towards RELHS contribution. However, despite the aforesaid recommendation and despite the fact that no medical facility under RELHS has been extended to the applicant, the respondents have illegally retained the deducted amount and rejected the claim of the applicant.
5. Per contra, learned counsel for the respondents submitted that the applicant retired from the post of Loco Pilot (Goods) on 31.01.2019 and at the time of retirement he himself filled and signed the undertaking and option forms relating to post-retiral medical facilities. It is further submitted that in terms of Railway Board Circular dated 23.02.2017, joining RELHS was mandatory and accordingly an amount of Rs.54,000/- was deducted from the applicant's DCRG towards RELHS subscription. Learned counsel for the respondents further submitted that the applicant never disclosed at the relevant time that he was already availing Shakuntala Singh 4 medical facilities under ECHS and even now the UMID card can be enabled through the UMID portal. It is also submitted that there is no specific rule or guideline permitting refund of the amount already deducted towards RELHS contribution.
6. In the counter affidavit, the respondents have stated that the applicant voluntarily opted for RELHS facilities by furnishing undertaking and option forms at the time of retirement and, therefore, the amount of Rs.54,000/- was rightly deducted from his retiral dues. It has further been stated that there is no rule permitting refund of RELHS subscription and the Railway Board letter dated 31.07.2018 regarding exemption from mandatory joining of RELHS is not applicable in the case of the applicant as requisite documents were not submitted by him at the relevant time.
7. In rejoinder affidavit, the applicant has reiterated the averments made in the Original Application and denied the assertions made in the counter affidavit. It has been stated that the undertaking and option forms were signed by the applicant on being informed that deduction towards RELHS was mandatory. The applicant has further reiterated that being an ex-serviceman already covered under ECHS, he was exempted from mandatory joining of RELHS and once the respondents themselves disabled the UMID card and denied medical facilities under RELHS, the deducted amount is liable to be refunded to the applicant.
8. Considering the submissions of learned counsel for both the parties and upon perusal of the material available on record, it is not disputed that the applicant, being an ex- serviceman, is already availing medical facilities under the ECHS Scheme of the Defence Ministry. It is also not disputed that though an amount of Rs.54,000/- was deducted from the Shakuntala Singh 5 retiral dues of the applicant towards RELHS contribution, subsequently the UMID card/medical facility of the applicant under RELHS was disabled/deactivated by the respondents themselves. Once the respondents are not extending medical facilities under RELHS to the applicant, retention of the amount deducted towards RELHS contribution cannot be justified. Accordingly, I am of the opinion that the impugned order dated 03.04.2025 is liable to be quashed and the applicant is entitled for refund of the amount deducted towards RELHS contribution.
9. Accordingly, the Original Application is allowed. The impugned order dated 03.04.2025 is hereby quashed. The respondents are directed to refund the amount of Rs.54,000/- deducted from the retiral dues of the applicant towards RELHS contribution within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order.
10. All pending Miscellaneous Applications, if any, also stand disposed of. There shall be no order as to costs.
(Rajnish Kumar Rai) Member (J) /Shakuntala/ Shakuntala Singh