How inclement life becomes after retirement became evident on Monday when retired IPS officers came knocking at the doors of the Supreme Court with a petition urging for non-discrimination. Having organised themselves under the banner of the Forum of Retired Indian Police Service Officers, they have moved the court challenging a new pension validation clause introduced through the Finance Act, 2025, passed by the Union Government.
These retired bureaucrats claim that the new provision is unfair and unconstitutional, as retired officers are being treated differently despite belonging to the same category, only because of the date on which they retired. They describe the government’s move as an attempt to bypass judicial decisions by introducing retrospective validation through legislation.
The forum has specifically challenged Part IV of the Finance Act, 2025, which introduces the ‘Validation of the Central Civil Services Rules and Principles for Expenditure on Pension Liabilities from the Consolidated Fund of India.’
The forum wants the top court to declare the new pension validation clause as unlawful, claiming that this clause goes against earlier court rulings, which clearly stated that pensioners from the same group cannot be discriminated against based on retirement dates.
An apex court bench, comprising Justices K V Viswanathan and Prasanna B Varale, is hearing the petition. The bench has sought responses from several central ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Law and Justice, as well as the Ministry of Personnel and the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare.
Interestingly, the petitioners have demanded interest on delayed payments, in addition to arrears, stating that pensioners should be financially compensated for the delay caused by the authorities.
The top court has decided to hear the matter along with other similar pending cases in January next year.
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