Pension case of former warehousing corporation employees adjourned for 99th time

KOCHI: On the 30th, the High Court will again consider the case filed by the former employees of the State Warehousing Corporation demanding their rightful pension. The case is being considered for the 100th time. The petitioners, aged up to 85 years, have been in a legal battle for 23 years.

A petition filed in the High Court in 2001, seeking pension payment received a favourable response only when the case was considered in 2010. The corporation approached the Supreme Court against this with a petition but was dismissed in 2017. However, the court order remained unimplemented. At this stage, the pensioners filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court.

The petition was withdrawn after the corporation announced that the court verdict would be implemented immediately, but the pension hike was still not implemented. The pensioners then approached the Supreme Court but the petition was referred to the High Court. The High Court ruled that a minimum of Rs 5,000 and a maximum of Rs 15,500 including dearness allowance till April 1, 2018, should be paid. The court back then also ordered the corporation to complete all dues till then within three months.

The High Court will now consider the appeal filed in the Corporation Division Bench and the petition of the pensioners. 45 pensioners died during the legal battle while 603 are still hoping for a favorable result.