Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to pay the first tranche of arrears to eligible family pensioners and gallantry winners of the Indian Armed Forces as per the "One Rank, One Pension" scheme by April 30.

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Furthermore, the Centre must pay arrears to eligible pensioners above 70 years by June 30 and the rest of the eligible pensioners in equal instalments on or before August 30, November 30 and February 28, 2024, the court said.

In its decision, a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrchud said the Centre is duty-bound to comply with its 2022 judgement on the payment of arrears to ex-service personnel and asked it to pay dues for 2019-2022 worth Rs 28,000 crore to them by February 28 next year.

At the outset of the hearing, the bench refused to accept the Centre's sealed cover note, saying they need to "put an end" to the practice.

"I am personally averse to sealed covers. There has to be transparency in court... This is about implementing orders. What can be secret here," the CJI said.

ALSO READ | OROP arrears case: Supreme Court says sealed cover note against transparency, 'we want to end it'

The bench noted that out of 25 lakh pensioners, four lakh of them did not qualify for the OROP scheme as they were getting enhanced pensions and the Centre proposed to pay the arrears by April 30.

Reducing the time limit to February 28 next year, the bench gave the time schedule for payment of arrears to different groups of pensioners under the OROP scheme.

The bench, also comprising justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, directed that the six lakh family pensioners and gallantry award winners "shall be paid their OROP dues by April 30, 2023".

It said around four-five lakh retired servicemen aged 70 years and above shall be paid their OROP dues in one or more instalments by June 30.

The OROP dues for 10-11 lakh remaining pensioners shall be paid in three equal instalments by February 28 next year, the bench said, making it clear that the payment of the dues "will not affect further equalisation of pension of ex-servicemen to be done in 2024".

The court had earlier upheld the OROP scheme introduced by the central government through its notification of November 7, 2015, and directed that the arrears should be paid within 3 months.

Also on March 13, the Supreme Court told the Ministry of Defence it cannot take the law into its own hands by issuing "unilateral" communication “unilaterally” about OROP arrears to pensioners and had sought a payment plan by March 20.

With agency inputs.

First Published:Mar 20, 2023 12:57 PM IST