Latest news with #PrakashPathak
Time of India
10-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Owner's last wish for dog comes true
1 2 3 Vadodara: Destiny can be extremely cruel and kind at the same time. It forced a terminally ill pet owner to leave his canine companion to the mercy of the world, and with the same hand, wrote a good future for the animal, giving its owner the relief that his furry friend will be loved and well taken care of. On Thursday morning, an indie-mix dog was found near a complex in the Bhayli area with a heart-wrenching note attached to its collar. Written in English by its owner, it read, "I've been battling liver cancer for seven chances of recovery have faded. With a heavy heart, I'm leaving behind someone who means the world to me — my beloved dog. He has been my strength and faithful companion through this painful journey. " The moving note further requested the finder to take care of the dog. It said the dog deserved a home filled with love and gentle care. "This is my last and only request — love him like I did," the owner wrote, his words beseeching the finder to give the dog the best life. The power of his love triumphed and by night, the dog had found its forever home, one that it likely chose himself. Although many people tried to claim him as theirs, the dog chose to spend the rest of its life with someone it knew — his owner's old friend. The medium in this hand of fate was a shopkeeper Prakash Pathak, who had been fostering the dog since he was found wandering the streets of Bhayli and refused to let anyone take it until he saw a genuine love in the claimant. Devesh Vyas, a pet lover who also runs a dog hostel, spotted the dog at Pathak's shop and spread the word to potential adopters on online groups. "The shop owner agreed to take care of the dog. I gave him tips on dog care and told him I would take it if not one came forward," says Vyas. Prakash Pathak's family itself was keen on adopting the dog. "My daughter is an animal lover, and we take care of injured birds and squirrels. We feed two street dogs who hang around near our shop. We took care of the abandoned dog and fed it. It was comfortable here and did not bother us much," he said. Throughout the day, around a dozen people came forth to adopt the dog. "I am sure it must have been a difficult decision for the loving but helpless owner to leave his pet dog to the mercy of the world, hoping that his companion will find a new loving home. Many claimed that the dog belonged to them, but the dog did not even recognise them. We kept noting their details but refused to hand over the dog. We had adopted it already and would have given it only to the rightful owner if he had turned up," said Pathak's wife, Kalpana. After sundown, the dog sensed a familiar scent. On seeing a man arrive in an auto-rickshaw, it started wagging its tail and rushed towards him in joy the moment he stepped off the vehicle. Clearly, the animal knew him and putting Pathak's suspicion to rest, the man even called the dog by its name. The man told the Pathaks that the dog's ailing owner was his dear friend and he rushed to find it after knowing that the animal had been let go. Assured that the dog will be well taken care of, the Pathaks said goodbye to their four-legged guest. A social media post regarding the dog generated a debate about the dog being "deserted". Many were of the opinion that the pet parent should have tried rehoming him through adoption instead of leaving it on the streets. Others sympathised with the man.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Denied higher pension, retirees' association pleads CJI to intervene
Nagpur: Alleging grave injustice to lakhs of retired persons, Employees Pension (EPS-1995) Coordination Committee has written to Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai seeking his intervention after a Supreme Court bench dismissed a key petition filed by Powergrid Retired Employees' Association related to EPS-95. The committee claimed the Supreme Court verdict has denied rightful pension benefits to senior citizens who retired before September 1, 2014. In a letter dated May 20, the committee's national general secretary Prakash Pathak and national legal advisor Dada Tukaram Zode have demanded "sympathetic intervention" from the CJI, citing "arbitrary and unjust treatment" by a Supreme Court bench, which, they alleged, failed to address core grievance regarding misinterpretation of earlier apex court orders. "For the first time since 2004, we are not getting justice from the top court," said Pathak, referring to a decades long legal struggle to secure higher pension based on actual salary. "Till 2016, 10 special leave petitions (SLPs) filed by Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) were rejected. But since 2019, the trend has reversed against the pensioners." The letter points to Kerala high court's 2018 verdict, which held EPFO's pension scheme amendments illegal — a decision later upheld by the apex court in April 2019. However, the committee alleged that subsequent review petitions and SLPs filed by the EPFO and the Centre were processed in an "inconsistent" manner, with fresh benches taking up matters already decided by three-judge benches. The association particularly flagged a paragraph — 44(v) — in the November 4, 2022 judgment by the top court. "The EPFO later misused this paragraph to issue circulars dated December 29, 2022, and January 25, 2023, which effectively excluded pre-2014 retirees from the benefit of higher pension, triggering around 77 subsequent legal applications — all of which were dismissed," said the association. "This pension scheme is meant for social welfare and security in the old age of workers. The court should protect such right to life," the letter reads. It also claims that dismissal of Powergrid staffers plea was done "without considering facts and merits," causing distress to elderly pensioners across the country. The committee has also enclosed a copy of an earlier letter addressed to the apex court, expressing dismay over the verdict. Seeking urgent remedial action, the committee has requested the CJI to examine the case for fairness and consider an appropriate inquiry "in the interest of justice to pensioners across the country."
