Cuttack, Feb. 7: Orissa High Court has criticised the state government for playing "hide and seek" and showing "lackadaisical attitude" over payment of pension benefits.

The court said: "It must be remembered that pension is not a bounty or charity, but it is a right of every government servant to receive the same."

The court observed this in the case of one Achyutananda Parida, who was given provisional pension after three years and regular pension 12 years after he had taken retirement as assistant engineer of the Grid Corporation of Odisha.

Parida had moved the high court for interest on delayed payment of pension and gratuity in 2009. Allowing his plea, the court awarded interest on the delayed payment of pension and gratuity from the date of entitlement till the date of actual payment as it found the authorities had lapses in causing the delay.

Parida was paid all his pension benefits - pension from April 1, 1997 to March 31, 2009, amounting to Rs 10,44,116 and gratuity of Rs 1,49,350 on April 8, 2009 - but without any interest. Provisional pension was sanctioned on January 4, 2002.

"Since there is delayed payment of provisional pension (for which no formalities is required), the petitioner (Achyutananda Parida) is entitled to interest on delayed payment for long after 12 years of the date of retirement," the single-judge bench of Justice D.P. Choudhury ruled.

"So, the authorities cannot wriggle out from payment of interest on the delayed payment of pension and gratuity," Justice Choudhury further ruled in his January 31 judgment, a full text of which was available today.

The court directed the state government to pay interest at 9 per cent per annum on the delayed payment of pension and gratuity amount from April 1, 1997 till the date of actual payment in 2009.

"It is further directed that if this is not paid within eight weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order, the same shall carry interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum from the date of retirement of the petitioner," Justice Choudhury specified in his order.

"It is lamentable to observe that the authorities have shown lackadaisical attitude, which cause delay in making payment of pension benefits including provisional pension for no fault of the petitioner, which is very sorry affairs on the part of the authorities," Justice Choudhury observed.