NEW DELHI, Feb 12: The Central Government informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday about the recent notification of the Unified Pension Scheme, which aims to address the concerns of judicial officers. A bench consisting of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih heard the presentation made by the government’s legal representatives. Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Centre and updated the bench regarding the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which pertains to the applicability of the New Pension Scheme for district judiciary officers.
“Both the Attorney General and the Solicitor General stated that the Unified Pension Scheme could potentially alleviate the concerns of all employees, including judicial officers,” the bench noted. Consequently, the court deemed it suitable to postpone the matter to observe the functionality of the Unified Pension Scheme before making further decisions. The case is scheduled for a hearing in 12 weeks.
This case raises important issues surrounding pension distribution for district judiciary officers and retired high court judges. The Supreme Court is currently addressing matters related to salaries, arrears, and allowances for district judiciary officers. The Finance Ministry announced the UPS on January 25, which guarantees a pension amounting to 50% of the average basic pay received over the last 12 months before retirement.
The UPS will be applicable to Central Government employees currently enrolled in the National Pension System who opt for this scheme, as per the gazette notification issued by the Finance Ministry. However, it’s important to note that the assured payout under the UPS will not be applicable in cases of service removal, dismissal, or employee resignation.
According to the notification released on January 24, the full assured payout rate will be 50% of the 12-month average basic pay preceding the retirement, requiring a minimum service duration of 25 years. This notification provides approximately 2.3 million government employees with the choice between UPS and the NPS, which has been in effect since January 1, 2004. (Agencies)
