G N Sridharan writes

I would like to share with the highly expectant LIC pensioners' fraternity a very significant decision of the IBA/Govt to honour a court verdict conferring an important benefit to a small section of Bank pensioners very recently. Two of my own reasonings weighed with me to indulge in such a sharing. 1) The decision indicates that the Govt which has been fighting litigations by pensioners of funded schemes tooth and nail is possibly mellowing down.It is good for us-- though many of us do not seem to realise - that whatever happens to the retirees in banking sector will only benefit us automatically in the long run in view of the ''insurance & banking ''clubbing POLICY of the govt.2)The court decision in the case demonstrates that mere harping on the pension rules may not always help the management in denying justified benefits to the pensioners.The story runs as follows.

 Some of the nationalised Banks were following the practice of directly recruiting officers with experience and technical qualification for manning certain depts. (like Agricultural Loan operations)waiving /relaxing minimum age requirements. The appointment letters issued to them invariably gave them a prescribed wheightage for the period of service in their previous jobs for purpose of determining their eligibility for full
pensions on superannuation.However on their retirement this benefits was denied on the plea that the pension rules do not permit it as no prior Govt.approval had been accorded for weightage of service in such cases at the time of recruitment.

Aggrieved by such denial some of the affected pensioners at Chennai (V Vijayan &others) approached the Madras HC which dismissed their WP.Similar WP had also been filed before Allahabad HC (AP Saxena & others) and same was decided in favour of the pensioners.Both the Bank of Baroda retired officers and the management of Allahabad Bank went on appeal to SC .The SC clubbed both the appeals and by a common judgement dated 27/12/ 2017 the apex court allowed the appeals by BOB pensioners and dismissed the appeal of the Allahabad Bank. 

It may be mentioned that while filing the SLP the Zonal president & Secy of the BOB retired officers' Assn.acting on behalf of the Chennai petitioners  approached me and on my furnishing the names of our counsels (both on record & sr)they engaged them for arguing their case in the SC which has now given the above favourable verdict.

I have been informed by BOB retired officers' Association that the IBA has issued a circular no.HR&IR/SKK/2017-21018/4439 dated 1st Feb 2018 directing all nationalised banks to grant the required weightage to all pensioners under this category under regulation 26 of the Bank employees' pension Regulations.It is learnt that about 200 pensioners of all banks except SBI will be benefitted.
Congratulations to organisations of Bank pensioners.
- GN Sridharan