Supreme Court Criticizes Government Over Delayed Pension Decisions for Retired Captains
The Supreme Court of India has criticized the Centre for not making timely decisions regarding pensions for regular captains under the One Rank One Pension Scheme (OROP). A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and R. Mahadevan expressed their dissatisfaction and gave the Union Government a final chance to resolve the issue by mid-November.
The court warned that if a decision is not made by the next hearing, it will order a 10% increase in pensions for the regular captains. Additionally, the court imposed a cost, which must be deposited into the Armed Forces welfare funds.
During the hearing, the court inquired about the status of the pension scheme. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati apologized for the delay and explained that despite efforts, no decision had been reached. She requested an additional three months to resolve the matter, but the court expressed its unhappiness with the ongoing delays.
The issue at hand involves an anomaly in the pension payable to regular captains, which needs to be resolved for the proper implementation of the OROP scheme.
Doubts Revealed
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India. It makes important decisions about laws and justice in the country.
Centre -: The Centre refers to the central government of India, which is responsible for making and implementing national policies.
pensions -: Pensions are regular payments made to retired people, like soldiers, to support them financially after they stop working.
captains -: Captains are officers in the military who have a certain rank and command over soldiers.
One Rank One Pension Scheme (OROP) -: The One Rank One Pension Scheme (OROP) is a policy in India that ensures that retired military personnel of the same rank and length of service receive the same pension, regardless of when they retired.
Justices Sanjiv Khanna and R. Mahadevan -: Justices Sanjiv Khanna and R. Mahadevan are judges in the Supreme Court of India who are responsible for making legal decisions.
10% pension increase -: A 10% pension increase means that the amount of money given to retired people as pension would be raised by 10%.
Armed Forces welfare funds -: Armed Forces welfare funds are special funds used to support the well-being and needs of military personnel and their families.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati -: Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati is a senior lawyer who represents the government in legal matters in the Supreme Court.