Madras High Court
R.Vasantha vs The Commissioner
Author: V.Parthiban
Bench: V.Parthiban
1
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
Reserved on: 12.04.2019
Delivered on: 24.04.2019
CORAM
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE V.PARTHIBAN
W.P.Nos.11302 and 11394 of 2019
W.M.P.NOs.11646 and 11695 of 2019
W.P.No.11302 of 2019:
R.Vasantha .. Petitioner
Versus
1 The Commissioner
Employment Provident Fund Organization
Bhavishya Nidhi Bhawan No.14 Bhikarji Cama
Place New Delhi -110 066.
2 The Regional Provident
Fund Commissioner (Pension) Regional
Employment provident Fund Organization No.
37 Royapettah High Road Chennai 600 014.
3 M/s.Tamil Nadu Agro Industri
es Development Corporation Ltd. Rep. by
its Managing Director Agro House
Thiru -Vi-Ka Industrial Estate
Guindy Chennai 600 032. .. Respondents
Prayer: Writ Petition is filed under Article 226 of the
Constitution of India, for issuance of Writ of Certiorarified
Mandamus, Direct the 2nd respondent to pay the revised
pension to the petitioner as per provisions of the Employment
Pension Scheme 1995 by considering the representations
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dated 21/11/2017 and 29/01/2019 within a time frame to be
fixed by this Honorable Court.
W.P.No.11394 of 2019:
1 P.Subramaniyan
S/o. Pappu Raja 67/ 7 Vishnu Nagar 3rd
Street Kalanga Peri Rajapalaym - 626108
Virudhunagar (Dt). PPO No. MD/ MDU/ 68664
JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 8
2 G.Monogaran
S/o. Govindhasamy Bharathiyar Nagar
Ariyalur - 621704 PPO No. CB/ TRY/ 46561
JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 7995200788
3 K.Arumugam
S/o. Kulandaivel West Street Kairabad (Po)
Kallankurichi (Via) Ariyalur - 621729 PPO
No. CB/ TRY/ 56150 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID.
7653667073
4 A.Dhanaraj
S/o. C.Alagappan 19 Kamaraj Nagar 1st
Street Sendurai Road Ariyalur - 621704
PPO No. CB/ TRY/ 60627 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID.
9965945806
5 S.Antonisamy
S/o. Savarimuthu 34/ 73 E5 1st Cross
Periyar Nagar Ariyalur - 621704 PPO No. CB/
TRY/ 43556 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 0765828189
6 M.Anbalagan
S/o. Manikam No. 2/ 125 North Street
Kallankurichi Ariyalur (Dt). PPO No. CB/
TRY/ 65335 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 5611450848
7 P.Chinnasamy
S/o. R.Pachamuthu West Street
Periyamanakudi Kallankurichi (Po) Ariyalur
(Dt) PPO No. CB/ TRY/ 83855 JEEVAN PRAMAN
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ID. 2752370232
8 S.Anthonisamy
S/o. S. Savarimuthu 26-A K.K.Nagar
Ariyalur - 621713 PPO No. CB/ TRY/ 31884
9 P.Logeshwaran
S/o. V.Palaniandi D.No. 679. Sastri Nagar
Theem Park (Opposite) Kallankurichi (Via)
Ariyalur - 621729 PPO No. CB/ TRY/ 57670
JEEVAN PRAMAN ID.
10 A.Subbaiah
S/o. Alagarsamy Plot No. 47 Soundararaja
Nagar 2nd Street Soundararaja Mills Road
Naga Nagar Dindugul - 624003 PPO No. CB/
TRY/ 66828 JEEVAN
11 L.A.Lazar Joseph
S/o. L.Anthonisamy 4/ 577 9th Cross
Adaikkala Annai Nagar Ponmalai Trichy -
620004 PPO No. CB/ TRY/ 83835 JEEVAN
PRAMAN ID. 2171089700
12 V.Kulandai Velu
S/o. Veerappan 5/ 621 Raja Nagar
Adavathur East Srirangam Trichy - 620102
PPO No. CB/ TRY/ 83668 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID.
1912008108
13 D.Manthiri
S/o. Duraisamy B-168 Rajiv Nagar
Valajanagaram Ariyalur - 621704 PPO No.
CB/ TRY/ 37108 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 7708753819
14 A.S.Bhavani
D/o. A.Sundararajan D.No. 2/ 519 Plot No.
10 Jayavilas Gardens Kadachanendial
Madurai - 625107 PPO No. MD/ MDU/ 68537
JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 17289
15 K.Pandi
S/o. Kalluran 4/ 470 Gandhi 3rd Street
Ayyar Bungalow Uchaparamedu Thiruppalai
Madurai - 625014 PPO No. MD/ MDU/ 94087
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JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 6593
16 S.Diraviyam
S/o. Subramaniyan No. 7 Thevar South
Street Melapatta Mudaiyarpuram Keelapavoor
Kaluneerkulam (Po) Thirunelveli - 67861
17 S.Arunachalam
S/o. Srinivasan 5/ 2 G.M. Nagar Madurai
Road Srivilliputhur - 626125 Virudungar
(Dt) PPO No. MD/ MDU/ 92526 JEEVAN PRAMAN
ID. 2027622136
18 K.Sambath Narayanan
S/o. Krishnamasariyar 43 Nachiyar South
Mada Street Srivilliputhur - 626125
Virudhunagar (Dt) PPO No. MD/ MDU/ 46774
JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 3940848
19 G.Ragendran
S/o. Gurusamy 2/ 135 Modern Nagar
Collectorate (Po) Virudunagar - 626002 PPO
No. MD/ MDU/ 74015 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID.
4359823903
20 K.Muniyandi
S/o. A.Kadarkarai Alangulam - 626127
Rajapalayam (Via) Virudunagar (Dt). PPO No.
MD/ MDU/ 68664 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 8496348301
21 S.Madasamy
S/o. Sankara Thevar Karaiyruppu Sankar
Nagar (Via) Tirunelveli - 627358 PPO No.
TN/ TNY/ 64175 JEEVAN PRAMAN ID. 1066348182
Versus
1 Union of India
Rep. by Secretary to Government of India
Ministry of Labour and Employment Shram
Shakti Bhawan Rafi Marg New Delhi - 110001
2 The Central Provident Fund C
ommissioner Employees Provident Fund
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Organisation Ministry of Labour and
Employment Govt. of India Bhavishya Nidhi
Bhawan 14 Bhikaji Cama Pla
3 The Additional Central Provi
dent Fund Commissioner HQ (Pension)
Employees Provident Fund Organisation
Bhavishya Nidhi Bhawan 14 Bhikaji Cama
Place New Delhi - 110066
4 The Regional Provident Fund
Commissioner - I (Pension) Employees
Provident Fund Organisation Bhavishya Nidhi
Bhawan 14 Bhikaji Cama Place New Delhi -
110066
5 The Additional Central Provi
dent Fund Commissioner Employees Provident
Fund Organization 37 Royapettah High Road
Chennai - 600014
6 The Regional Provident Fund
Commissioner Employees Provident Fund
Organization 37 Royapettah High Road
Chennai - 600014
7 Tamil Nadu Cements Corporati
on Ltd. Rep. by Chairman and Managing
Director LLA Buildings II Floor 735 Anna
Salai Chennai - 600002
8 TANCEM Provident Fund Trust
Rep. by Secretary LLA Buildings II Floor
735 Anna Salai Chennai – 600002 ... Respondents
Prayer: Writ Petition is filed under Article 226 of the
Constitution of India, for issuance of Writ of Certiorarified
Mandamus, to call for the records pertaining to the impugned
circular bearing no. Pension/ I/ 12/ 33/ EPS Amendment/ 96
Vol-II dated 31.05.2017 and the 4th respondent and quash
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the orders passed therein and consequently direct the
respondents to grant pension on higher wages under
Employees Pension Scheme 1995 as per the orders of the
Honorable Supreme Court in Civil Appeal Nos. 10013-10014
of 2016 R.C.Gupta and others Vs. Regional Provident Fund
Commissioner Provident Fund Organisation and Ors. case
reported in 2016 SCC 1639.
For Petitioners : Mr.G.L.Ramshankar
in WP 11302/19
For Petitioners : Mr.Yogesh Kannadasan
in WP 11394/19
For Respondents: Mr.T.R.Sundaram for R1&2
in WP 11302 of 2019 and
R1to R6 in WP 11394/2019
COMMON ORDER
In a batch of Writ Petitions, similar to the present Writ Petitions, in W.P.No.14368 of 2018, etc., this Court passed detail directions in para 48 and allowed all the Writ Petitions in para 49, which are extracted as under:
"48. In the above mentioned http://www.judis.nic.in 7 circumstances, this Court consider the following directions as expedient to resolve the issues as projected in the Writ Petitions.
i) Both the employees of the
exempted and unexempted
establishments are entitled to the benefit of enhanced pension on the basis of their contribution with reference to actual salary received by them to their Provident Fund accounts;
ii) The cut off date as prescribed i.e. 01.12.2004 is invalid in law and therefore, the same is held to be illegal and invalid;
iii)The employees, namely, the writ petitioners shall be permitted to exercise their option in terms of Proviso to Clause 11(3) of the Pension Scheme and while permitting so, the EPFO is at liberty to seek return of the higher Provident Fund contribution received by the respective employees with simple interest at the rate of 6% p.a. from the date of receipt of Provident Fund amount and till the date of payment;
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iv) The amounts to be refunded by the employees concerned shall be verified by the EPFO in consultation with the respective establishments in which the employees were employed;
v) On refund of the verified amount with interest, the EPFO shall calculate and grant enhanced pension on the basis of actual salaries received by the employees with arrears of pension from the date of their retirement and continue to pay their monthly enhanced pension through out their life time;
vi) In case where the refund of the amount by any employee with interest is higher than the enhanced pension with arrears payable to him, the refund shall be insisted upon and in case where the refund, after calculation, is lower than the arrears of pension payable to the employee, the same shall be adjusted while disbursing the arrears to the employees concerned;
vii) The respective Managements of the exempted establishments which maintained the Private Trust are directed to cooperate with the http://www.judis.nic.in 9 EPFO and render all assistance in quantifying the amount to be refunded by the respective employees with interest at 6% p.a.on such refund;
viii) The entire exercise shall be initiated and completed by the individual Managements and the EPFO within a period of six months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order.
49. In the result, all the Writ Petitions are allowed on the above terms. The orders of rejection which are impugned in the respective Writ Petitions, are hereby quasahed and as regards the Writ Petitions pertaining to the grant of Writ of Mandamus to the authorities for grant of enhanced pension are concerned, the same are allowed as indicated above. No costs. Consequently, all connected WMPs are closed.
2. The reasons and the findings in their entirety as rendered in the batch of Writ Petitions are to be read as part http://www.judis.nic.in 10 and parcel of the present Writ Petitions as well.
3. In the light of the above, this Court is of the view that the above directions and observation will hold good for the present Writ Petitions also. Accordingly, the Writ Petitions are allowed on the terms as mentioned above. Consequently, connected WMPs are closed. No costs.
Suk -04-2019 http://www.judis.nic.in 11 V.PARTHIBAN, J.
suk W.P.No.3528 of 2018, etc. 24-04-2019 http://www.judis.nic.in