Kerala High Court Reassures KSRTC Pensioners That Pension Will Be Paid On Time, Warns Govt Of Contempt Proceedings

The Kerala High Court when apprised of the news about the suicide of a KSRTC retiree, urged the pensioners not to take steps which are irrational and unnecessary.

The Court reassured them that it is now handling the matter and will make sure that pensions are paid within the time frames fixed by the Court.

Justice Devan Ramachandran said that he would decide whether to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings against the Government on the 4^th of September after seeing how the government is planning to pay the pensioners.

The Court had ordered in 2022 August that the pension of KSRTC employees shall be paid by the Government within a week of that month. The petitioner has approached the High Court again due to the non-compliance of that order.

The Court emphasized the need to pay a timely pension. It said:

“.. the failure to honour even a month's pension has been creating cataclysmic consequences among the pensioners. This Court is pained to know that people are even taking extreme measures in desperation.”

In the present case, the government informed the Court that they had stepped in and provided Rs 71.5 Crores. They further submitted that the pension of July has been paid substantially and sought a week's time to pay the pension for the month of July.

The Court ordered the respondents to pay the pension for the month of August soon. The Court also reminded that for the month of September, they will have to pay the pension without any delay as the festival of Onam was approaching and any delay would be very tenuous to the pensioners.

The case is next posted on the 4^th of September.

The petition was moved by Advocates Jose Abraham and E. Adithyan

Case Title: K. Asokakumar v Dr K. Vasuki

Case No: Con.Case(C) 1772/ 2024

Click Here To Read/Download Order