Madras High Court says no gratuity for Coast Guard officer without 20 years of service

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has refused to order payment of gratuity to a Coast Guard officer citing Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules since he was prematurely released from service on his request before completing 20 years of service.
A division bench of justices SS Sundar (since retired) and R Hemalatha passed the orders recently while allowing an appeal filed by the DG of Coast Guard against a single judge's order directing the authorities to pay gratuity to Captain RC Raju, who had completed only 16 years in service.
The single judge had relied on the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 to order gratuity payment to Raju as the amount had been deducted from salary. But, the division bench differed and concluded that the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules is applicable in case of this officer and not the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972.
The bench said the CCS Rules forfeits pension or gratuity once an officer is released before completing 20 years of qualifying service. After serving in various capacities, Captain Raju was prematurely released in 1999 after his request for a transfer to Chennai was turned down.
(For full report, visit newindianexpress.com)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hans India

an hour ago

• Hans India

Tamil Nadu: Heavy police deployment in Madurai ahead of Lord Murugan devotees conference

Chennai: Tight security arrangements have been put in place in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, as the temple town prepares to host the much-anticipated Lord Murugan Devotees' Conference, organised by Hindu Munnani. With thousands of devotees expected to attend, the Madurai City Police have deployed over 1,200 personnel across key locations to ensure the smooth conduct of the event. The conference is scheduled to take place on Sunday at Amma Thidal, near Pandi Kovil Ring Road, with the venue set against the scenic backdrop of Tiruparankundram hill -- one of the six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan. Organisers have recreated replicas of the 'Arupadaiveedu' (six holy abodes of Murugan) at the venue, offering devotees a chance to pay homage to all key shrines in one place. Senior police officials confirmed that surveillance has been intensified throughout the city, and traffic management plans have been put in place to prevent disruptions. 'We've strengthened monitoring through surveillance cameras and ensured that crowd flow, vehicular movement, and public order are maintained efficiently,' a police officer said. Representatives of the organising committee were earlier summoned for meetings and instructed to adhere strictly to the conditions laid down by the Madras High Court. Organisers, in turn, have assured the police of full compliance and said that arrangements for drinking water, medical aid, sanitation, and seating have been finalised. The event has taken on political significance as opposition parties accuse the Hindu Munnani and the BJP of attempting to use religion as a political mobilising tool. The controversy deepened following reports that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, initially scheduled to attend, had cancelled his visit. Despite this, prominent political and religious figures are still expected. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan is among the invited dignitaries. The Lord Murugan Devotees' Conference is a large-scale religious congregation initiated by Hindu Munnani to celebrate the faith and devotion surrounding Lord Murugan, a revered deity in Tamil Hinduism known for his valour, wisdom, and divine grace. The event is seen not only as a spiritual gathering but also as a platform to affirm Tamil cultural identity and Hindu unity. The choice of Madurai -- a city steeped in Murugan lore and home to the sacred Tiruparankundram temple -- adds to the significance of the occasion. With strong religious and cultural overtones, the conference is expected to draw thousands of devotees from across Tamil Nadu and beyond.

Hindustan Times

3 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Delay in RERA chief appointment shows govt's ‘mala fide' intent: Himachal HC

The delay in appointment of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) chief and members was with a 'mala fide purpose', observed the Himachal Pradesh high court while hearing a public interest litigation on the delay in these appointments. RERA was rendered headless after the post of chairperson had fallen vacant in December last year, following retirement of Shrikant Baldi. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Pulling up the state government over the delay, on Friday, the high court directed it to issue notification for the post of chairman and other members by June 25. The court has also imposed a fine of ₹ 5 lakh on the government. '....after the recommendation was sent, the office of RERA has been relocated to Dharamshala on June 13, 2025, without even identifying the alternative office place. We are also of the prima facie opinion that the whole purpose of dragging of the appointments and shifting the HQ of RERA is with a mala fide purpose and at this stage, we do not wish to say anything more,' read the order of division bench of chief justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and justice Ranjan Sharma on Friday, the copy of which was made available on Saturday. RERA was rendered headless after the post of chairperson had fallen vacant in December last year, following retirement of Shrikant Baldi. '....sequence of events would go on to show that the state government is dragging its feet for not notifying the appointment of chairperson and the members,' observed the HC, while directing the state to issue notification regarding the appointments by June 25, failing which the chief secretary shall come present on the said date. In the detailed order high court pointed out that the issue had first cropped up on May 9, when a PIL filed by Atul Sharma, challenging the extension of six months granted to Prabodh Saxena as Himachal's chief secretary, who was also one of top-runners for the post of HP RERA chairperson. The order mentioned that 'Office of chief justice has also received a large number of representations that the appointment of chairperson and members, as such are not being notified and therefore, judicial notice also be taken of the same.' The recommendations of selection committee headed by the HP high court chief justice with the secretary (urban development), and secretary (law) as its members regarding appointment of RERA chairperson and members was sent by the registrar general of high court on March 13, and as per the Rule 18(5) of Himachal Pradesh Real Estate [Regulation and Development] Rules, 2017, the selection process has to be time bound. During the earlier hearing of the PIL, the state government was asked to file affidavit giving 'Specific reason that the state has withheld the recommendations of the selection committee.' The state government had cited 'relocation of RERA office to Dharamshala, district Kangra, which was on the basis of a policy decision', as reason for delay in appointment while admitting that 'State government is under the obligation as per the rules to appoint the chairperson and members.' The state government through a status report on Friday had informed the high court that by notification dated June 19, 'that only one Member has been appointed namely Vidur Mehta', and the process of appointment of other members and the chairperson is currently under consideration and is in process.

Time of India

12 hours ago

• Time of India

Shops in Ludh yet to put up signboards in Punjabi

Ludhiana: It's been more than two years since the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments (First Amendment) Rules, 2023 made it mandatory for shops and commercial establishments to have signboards in Gurmukhi Punjabi positioned "prominently" before any other language and occupying more space, most of them are yet to comply with it. On Feb 21, 2023, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann approved the amendment to the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Rules, making it must for all businesses to display signboards in Punjabi. The amendment, which inserted new rules 23 and 24, allowed businesses to use other languages, in addition to Punjabi. A time of six months had been given to comply with the new regulations. Failure to comply would invite a fine of Rs 1,000 and a subsequent fine of Rs 2,000. But many prominent hotels and businesses near Bhai Wala Chowk, Aarti Chowk and likewise several businesses and commercial establishments are yet to have the Gurmukhi versions of their names on their signboards. Though many MNCs, banks, etc., have put up such signboards, they are not sticking to the rules. In most cases, the Gurmukhi versions are written in much smaller fonts or sometimes in the corner of the name boards, which is a violation of the rules. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What She Did Mid-Air Left Passengers Speechless medalmerit Learn More Undo Mahinder Singh Sekhon, coordinator, Punjabi Bhasha Parsar Bhaichara, said, "The rules are not being enforced in true spirit. Since the fine amount in Punjab is quite low, that is why the approach towards implementation of these rules is also too lax." District language officer Sandeep Sharma said they are ensuring that all govt buildings have the names in Punjabi displayed prominently. When asked, assistant labour commissioner Sarbjot Singh Sidhu too said it is being ensured that all new establishments have their name boards in Punjabi. "Majority of the bigger showrooms or MNCs have their names in Punjabi. Whenever a licence is given, it is part of the checklist to ensure that the names are in Punjabi. Whenever we receive any complaint regarding this, we educate and sensitise them so that they update the names in Gurmukhi as per rules. It is a shared responsibility of other departments, including ours, the language and GST departments as well," he added.