Let college teachers who retired at 58 rejoin: CAT

Chandigarh, March 23

The Chandigarh Bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has ordered that the teachers who stood relieved in terms of the Punjab Rules on attaining the age of superannuation shall be given an option to rejoin and if they opt to come back, it will be subject to seniority and availability of vacancies, and refund of retirement dues already taken by them from the respondents.

The Bench also clarified that they would get notional benefits from the date of relieving. On rejoining, no arrears of pay and allowances would be paid for the period, it added.

The riders

• The rejoining will be subject to seniority, availability of vacancies and refund of retirement dues
• They will get notional benefits from the date of relieving
• On rejoining, no arrears of pay and allowances will be paid

CAT gave the direction while allowing the applications filed by teachers of various government colleges seeking extension of retirement age from 58 years to 65 years. Many teachers had approached CAT for the extension of the retirement age citing the judgment passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard.

Further, the Bench comprising Rashmi Saxena Sahni, Member (Administrative), and Ramesh Singh Thakur, Member (Judicial), has directed the Education Secretary to ensure that a uniform system was adopted by all colleges in case of retired employees within a period of six weeks from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order.

“As the respondents are in administrative control of the Union Territory of Chandigarh and in view of the judgment passed by the High Court in the matter of Dr Joginder Pal Singh (supra), all these original applications are allowed and the respondents are directed to allow the applicants to continue in service till the age of 65 as provided under the UGC Regulations-2010/UGC Regulations-2018 mandating the retirement age as 65 for all teachers in Centrally-funded institutions. The applicants are also held entitled to all consequential benefits and the same be released within a period of two months from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order,” said the Bench in the order.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had in May 2021 ruled that the retirement age of teachers of institutes under the Administration would be 65, with an extension of five years as applicable in Central government institutes.