Mubin Khan vs State Of Chhattisgarh And Ors

Parth Prateem Sahu, J

The relief prayed for in the writ petition was for including the period of service rendered by the petitioner as temporary employee in the capacity of contingency paid employee, for counting as pensionable service, which the Department is not counting because the petitioner was regularized on the post of LDC only in the year 1988.

There is no dispute about the fact of date of petitioner's joining the service in the Contingency Paid Establishment in the year 1979 and his date of regularization in the year 1988. It is also not in dispute that while calculating the pensionary benefits, petitioner's services from the date of regularization have been counted. However, the petitioner claims that his services rendered in the Contingency Paid Establishment as a temporary employee, prior to the date of regularization, should also be counted as pensionable service.

From the order passed by the Single Bench, it appears that the petitioner has been allowed gratuity by the Controlling Authority under the Payment of Gratuity Act from the date of his initial appointment in the year 1979.

Pension Rules provide for grant of pensionary benefits for the entire qualifying service, which an employee has rendered on a civil post. The period spent by the petitioner as a temporary employee in the Contingency Paid Establishment has not been counted towards the pensionable service for the reason that he came to hold a civil post only after the date of regularization.

Petitioner's services during his posting in the Contingency Paid Establishment were governed under the Madhya Pradesh Irrigation Department Work Charged and Contingency Paid Employees Recruitment and Conditions of Service Rules, 1977. Under Rule 4 (2) (b) of the said Rules, a contingency paid employee is accorded temporary status immediately upon completion of 5 years service. On representation by the Employees Union, the State Government issued a circular on 02.03.2005, which reads as follows:

''छत्तीसगढ़ शासन

वित्त एवं योजना विभाग

मंत्रालय, दाउ कल्याण सिंह भवन, रायपुर

क्रमांक 81/1056/वि/नि/04                                                                                                 रायपुर, दिनांक 2 मार्च, 2005

प्रति,

शासन के समस्त विभाग अध्यक्ष, राजस्व मंडल, बिलासपुर, समस्त विभागाध्यक्ष, समस्त जिलाध्यक्ष, छत्तीसगढ़ । विषय: कार्यभारित/आकस्मिक निधि से वेतन पाने वाले कर्मचारियों की नियमित स्थापना में नियुक्ति होने पर अर्हतादायी सेवा का निर्धारण ।

छत्तीसगढ़ (कार्यभारित तथा आकस्मिकता से वेतन पाने वाले कर्मचारी) पंेशन नियम, 1979 के नियम 6(3) में यह प्रावधान है कि किसी अस्थायी कर्मचारी के, बिना किसी व्यवधान के किसी भी नियमित पेंशन योग्य पद संविलियन किये जाने पर, 1 जनवरी, 1974 से आगे की गई सेवा, बशर्ते कि ऐसी सेवा 6 वर्ष से कम की न हो, पेंशन के लिये गिनी जायेगी मानों कि ऐसी सेवा किसी नियमित पद पर की गई हो।''

लघुवेतन कर्मचारी संघों द्वारा राज्य शासन के ध्यान में लाया गया है कि कुछ विभागों द्वारा अर्हताकारी सेवा की गणना हेतु उक्त नियमों के तहत अस्थाई सेवा को शामिल नहीं किया जा रहा है ।

समस्त विभागों से अनुरोध है कि वे उक्त प्रावधानों को अपने अधीनस्थ कार्यालयों के ध्यान में लावें तथा इनके आाधार पर अर्हताकारी सेवा की गणना करते हुए लंबित पेंशन प्रकरणों का तत्काल निराकरण करने हेतु निर्देशित करें ।

हस्ता/-

(सतीश पाण्डेय )

उपसचिव,

छत्तीसगढ़ शासन, वित्त विभाग''

In the above quoted circular, the State Government clearly directed that for counting the pensionable service, the period spent as temporary employee shall also be counted. The Division Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has also held in the matter of Shrikrishna Shrivastava vs State of M. P. and others, reported in (2003) 4 MPLJ 376, that period of temporary service rendered by a contingency paid employee shall be counted in the pensionable service.

In view of the circular issued by the State Government and the law laid down by the Division Bench of the M. P. High Court in Shrikrishna Shrivastava (supra), we are of the considered opinion that the petitioner's pensionable service should be counted from the date he completed 5 years service from the date of initial appointment, as immediately upon completion of 5 years service in the Contingency Paid Establishment, the petitioner had acquired temporary status under Rule 4 (2) (b) of the Rules, 1977. It is ordered accordingly. Consequently, it is directed that the respondents shall recalculate the petitioner's pensionable service in accordance with this order and pay him the entire consequential benefits within a period of 3 months from the date of receipt of the certified copy of the order. There shall be no order as to interest on the arrears.

The writ appeal is allowed in the above stated terms.