High Court rules that all employees appointed before 2004 but regularised later are entitled to old pension

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that if an employee was appointed before 2004, even if he was regularized after this date, he is entitled to the old pension scheme.

The High Court has accepted the petitions filed by the employees of various departments of Punjab and ordered the Punjab Government to release the benefits of the old pension scheme to them within 4 months.

While filing the petition, Surjeet Singh and others told the High Court through Advocate Ranjeevan Singh that they were appointed as contractual employees in various departments, boards, corporations etc. of Punjab. Their appointments were made before 2004, but he was made regular after 2004.

The petitioner said that the states had adopted the New Pension Scheme for the employees appointed after 2004 and the petitioners were also regularized on the condition that they adopt the same scheme.

The petitioners had filed a petition in the High Court after regularization and appealed to issue a direction to give the benefit of the old pension scheme. The High Court, while disposing of the petitions in January 2023, ordered the Punjab government to take a decision in this matter.