On this day, we pay our respectful tributes to late Shri H D Shourie, Late Shri D S Nakara and Late Shri Rear Admiral Satyendra Singh. Mr. Nakara and Mr. Singh were pensioners, denied the benefits of liberalized pension scheme introduced in 1979. Court granted the benefits to them. Mr. H D Shourie was a man fighting for justice through legal remedy. He founded a society called COMMON CAUSE and started the Public Interest Litigation in our country. It is because they raised fundamental basic issues concerning Pension in their original application and the Affidavit in the case that the Supreme Court was compelled to make very significant observations on pension. Court declared that pensioners as a whole is a homogenous group and pensioners cannot be divided based on any cutoff date. Supreme Court declared that pension is neither a bounty nor an ex gratia benefit and that it is deferred wage.Today is observed as Pensioners Day by lakhs of service pensioners in India. It was on this day, 35 years ago, on 17-12-1982, that the Supreme Court of India delivered its landmark judgement in DS Nakara Vs GOI case. (For details please see the article published in Pensioners Patrika November-December 2017).
Lakhs of old pensioners - central and state - are getting parity in pension because of this judgement.
BSNL retirees are covered by CCS Pension Rule 1972.Hence they should get pension revision granted to all other central service pensioners covered by same rule. BSNL pensioners cannot be discriminated or denied the benefit. AIBSNLPWA, therefore, demands pension revision with the same benefits as recommended by Seventh CPC. We shall continue our struggle for justice. Our branches observe this Day with high hopes and great respect to the pioneers.
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