Big decision of High Court on old pension, shock to the government on the petition of junior engineers of PWD:

News India Live, Digital Desk: Junior engineers of PWD have achieved a big victory in the ongoing legal battle regarding the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in Uttar Pradesh. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has rejected the special appeal of the state government, in which the decision of the single bench was challenged. After this tough stance of the court, now the way for old pension seems to be cleared for those junior engineers, whose appointment process had started before April 1, 2005.

Government’s arguments ignored: Engineers won the fight for their rights

The state government had argued in its appeal that since these employees were regularly appointed after 2005, they should be kept under the ambit of the New Pension Scheme (NPS). However, the court considered these arguments insufficient. While advocating on behalf of junior engineers, it was said that the process of advertisement and selection had started during the old pension scheme itself, hence they cannot be deprived of their rights due to technical reasons.

Thousands of employees will be affected: What is the full mathematics?

The impact of this decision of the High Court will not be limited only to the PWD department, but it will also become an example for thousands of employees working in other departments of the state who are embroiled in similar legal disputes. The court clarified that if the vacancies in the appointment are from the old scheme, then the employees should get the benefits accordingly. After this decision, there is a wave of happiness among the employee organizations and it is being called a ‘victory of justice’.

What options does the administration have now?

After this tough decision of the Lucknow Bench, now the state government is left with only the option of approaching the Supreme Court. Experts believe that the government may take this matter to the apex court, as it will have a huge financial burden on the state exchequer. On the other hand, employee unions have warned that if the government delays in implementing this decision, they will take the path of agitation. At present, this has come as a big news of relief for junior engineers.