SC asks Centre to give pension parity to rural bank staff

In a great relief for over 1 lakh regional rural bank employees, the Supreme Court has directed the Union government to grant pension parity to them as per the 1993 scheme prevailing for other commercial bank staff.

A bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and Mohan M Shantanagoudar told the Union government to implement pension parity in all regional rural banks in three months.

The top court rejected a special leave petition filed by the Union government against the Rajasthan High Court's judgement of August 23, 2012.

The Rajasthan High Court had directed the Centre to implement pension parity to Gramin Bank employees at par with the scheme of October 29, 1993, prevailing for commercial bank employees.

The National Industrial Tribunal (NIT) had in 1990 pronounced the award equating the scales, allowances and benefits of regional rural bank staff with that of commercial banks.

The Centre implemented the award but continued the disparities with respect to other allowances and particularly pension and provident fund.

Gramin Bank Pensioners Samiti's counsel Pragati Neekhra said the association first filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court in 2003.

The high court passed a direction for parity of pension on March 22, 2011.

The Union government filed an appeal before the division bench in the high court, which was again dismissed.

Subsequently, the Rajasthan High Court passed its judgement in 2012, relying upon the Karnataka High Court's ruling.

"Thus the judgement of Karnataka High Court has become final," the court said, in its order passed on April 25.

"The Union of India is to implement the judgement in respect of all the regional rural banks expeditiously and at any rate within three months," the bench said.