HC issues notice to Delhi govt, others on plea for timely pension of retired municipal school teachers

The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to Delhi government and others on a plea seeking to release the pension of retired teachers, who were teaching in schools run by the three Municipal Corporations in Delhi, in a timely manner.

A division bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad asked East and North DMC to file a status report on the plea filed by Akhil Dilli Prathmik Shikshak Sangh and listed the matter for further hearing on September 21.

Akhil Dilli Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, an association of teachers, has filed a petition through advocate Ranjit Sharma seeking directions to pay the pensions of retired teachers on time.

Advocate Mini Pushkarna, Standing Counsel for the respondents, said that South DMC has released the up-to-date pension of the retired teachers, which was confirmed by Ranjit Sharma, counsel for the petitioner.

Pushkarna said that the respondent Noth DMC had released the pension payable to its retired teachers up to March 2020, and shall be releasing the pension for the month of April 2020 at the earliest.

East DMC informed the court that the pension payable to all the retired employees of the EDMC, including primary school teachers, has been released till the month of May 2020, which was confirmed by learned counsel for the petitioner and it will take immediate steps to release the pension of the retired primary school teachers for the month of June, by the end of August.

The association sought a direction to the respondents to release the pension of the teachers of North, South and East DMC up to date and for further direction to the respondents to release their pension on time every month with further direction to them to release the arrears of the benefits of VIIth (seventh) pay commission to them without further delay.

In the plea, the association said the teachers and retired teachers have been facing the problem of non-payment of salary and pension by North DMC since the year 2015.

The association said that the retired teachers of North DMC are particularly facing immense problems in meeting their daily expenses.

"Some of them have medical problems, which require urgent treatment and care. These teachers do not have any other source of livelihood other than their pension. If the pension is released after a lapse of 2-3 months, it is imaginable what difficulties the retired teachers would be facing," the plea said.

( With inputs from ANI )