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| Berhampur University |
Cuttack, March 30: Orissa High Court has directed the state government to pay pension and other retirement benefits to teachers of Berhampur University who were denied of it on the basis of their actual age of retirement, which is 60 years.
In 1999, the Berhampur University Teachers’ Association (Buta) had filed a petition on behalf of 49 retired teachers seeking high court intervention against fixation of two dates – one for retirement (60 years) and another for retirement benefits (58 years).
The petition was pending before the court, while the teachers’ association had filed another petition on behalf of 79 teachers in 2007.
Rule 268 of the the Orissa Universities First Statute, 1990, provided 60 years as age of retirement for teaching and other staffs of all universities in the state.
But the Rule 291 prescribed: “Notwithstanding the age of superannutation, the period of qualifying service of employees other than Class-IV employees up to the time when the complete 58 years of age shall be taken into consideration to determine the quantum of their pension and gratuity.”
The Rule 291 was amended on October 30, 2012, and the actual age of retirement of 60 years was taken into consideration for payment of pension. But, only those retiring after that could reap the benefit of the amendment.
“The bench of Justice B.R. Sarangi allowed the petitions and directed the state government to calculate pension and other retirement benefits of the teachers of Berhampur University up to their age of retirement – 60 years and pay their arrears within four months,” teachers’ association counsel Prasanta Kumar Jena said today.