The
Madras High Court Bench here has come to the rescue of an 83-year-old
pensioner by restraining Assistant Treasury Officer at Peraiyur near
here from deducting Rs.1,000 from the octogenarian’s monthly pension for
recovering Rs.2.08 lakh reportedly paid in excess.
No notice
Justice
D. Hariparanthaman stayed the operation of an order passed by the
Assistant Treasury Office on October 15 after the writ petitioner N.
Rajagopal claimed that the order was passed without notice to him and
after deducting Rs.1,000 from the pension amount paid to him in the
month of October.
The
petitioner’s counsel RM. Arun Swaminathan pointed out that his client
was born on August 15, 1932 and he had served as a Post Graduate
Assistant Teacher at Gandhi Niketan Higher Secondary School in T.
Kallupatti near here before his retirement from service on
superannuation on August 31, 1990.
He had been in receipt of monthly pension since his retirement and the amount was also revised periodically as per the norms.
Sudden reduction
Though
he was receiving Rs.22,796 till September this year, the amount was
suddenly reduced by Rs.1,000 in the month of October forcing the
petitioner to make enquiries.
It
was only after a clarification was sought from the Assistant Treasury
Officer that the order under challenge was passed stating that it had
been decided to recover Rs.2.08 lakh from his pension, he claimed and
assailed the correctness of the order on many grounds including
violation of natural justice.
“I
did not commit any wrong or misrepresentation or fraud but the
respondents have issued the order without informing me. I have already
crossed 83 years and depending only on my pension amount… Now, there is
no alternative remedy except approaching this court,” the petitioner
said in his affidavit
Regards,
E.R.Iyer
