Jharkhand High Court orders employees appointed in 2008 to receive benefits of Old Pension Scheme

Ranchi: In a recent court ruling, the Jharkhand High Court has mandated that employees appointed before the year 2004 are entitled to the benefits of the old pension scheme. This decision came about in response to a petition filed by Vinod Toppo, who serves as a driver at the Koderma Civil Court, along with eight other employees. The petition challenged a 2021 notification from the Personnel Department that stated they would be excluded from the old pension scheme.

During the hearing, Shobha Lakra, along with the applicants’ advocate Subhashish Rasik Soren, informed the court that an advertisement for the appointment of vehicle drivers was published in 2001. Following the completion of the recruitment process, the driver appointment examination results were released in 2004, with appointments occurring in 2008. This case was heard by High Court Judge Justice Dr. SN Pathak, and the state government was represented by Advocate Chaitali Chatterjee.