Govt employees entitled to annual increment even if they retire next day after earning it: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday held government employees are entitled to annual increment even if they retire a day after earning the financial benefit.
The significant verdict came on an appeal of the state government-owned Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) challenging the judgement of a division bench of the Karnataka High Court that employees were entitled to annual increment even if they are to superannuate the very next day of earning the benefit.
A bench comprising Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar dismissed the appeal of KPTCL and said, "Now so far as the submission on behalf of the appellants (KPTCL) that the annual increment is in the form of incentive and to encourage an employee to perform well and therefore, once he is not in service, there is no question of grant of annual increment is concerned, the aforesaid has no substance."
The court took note of the divergent views of various high courts and laid down the law on the legal question whether an employee who has earned the annual increment is entitled to the same despite the fact that he has retired on the very next day of earning the increment.
The bench dealt in detail with the Regulation 40(1) of the Karnataka Electricity Board Employees Service Regulations, 1997 and analysed the object and purpose of grant of annual increment.
"A government servant is granted the annual increment on the basis of his good conduct while rendering one year service. Increments are given annually to officers with good conduct unless such increments are withheld as a measure of punishment or linked with efficiency. Therefore, the increment is earned for rendering service with good conduct in a year/specified period," it said.
The entitlement to the benefit of annual increment is due to the service already rendered, it said.
Merely because a government servant has retired on the very next day, he cannot be denied the annual increment which he has earned after rendering the service with good conduct and efficiency in the preceding year, it said.
"In view of the ..., the Division Bench of the (Karnataka) High Court has rightly directed the appellants (KPTCL) to grant one annual increment which the original writ petitioners earned on the last day of their service for rendering their services preceding one year from the date of retirement with good behaviour and efficiency," it said.
Earlier, a single judge bench of the high court had ruled in favour of the state-owned firm. The decision was set aside by the division bench of the high court.
The firm had preferred an appeal in the top court, saying that as the increment is in a form of incentive and therefore, when the employees are not in service there is no question of granting them any annual increment.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
