Pensioners challenge Govt. decision to suspend pension hike

• Former Comm. Gen. of Pensions among petitioners in Writ application filed yesterday
• CA will take up petition for consideration on 29 Sept.

The Court of Appeal (CA) will take up for consideration on 29 September a Writ Application filed by  former Commissioner General of Pensions K.A. Thilakaratne and several others seeking the operation of the circular issued  by the Ministry of Public Administration, last November granting a pension hike, which was subsequently suspended by the new Government.

The Bench comprised Justices A.H.M.D Nawaz and Sobhitha Rajakaruna. The Petitioners have cited 22 Respondents including the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration and the Commissioner General of Pensions. 

They say that the Cabinet of Ministers at a meeting held on 11 November 2019 approved a proposal to calculate and pay the pensions of the officers, retired and due to be retired, after 1 January 2016 up to 1 January 2020, based on the total salary entitled to them as at 1 January 2020, and the relevant circular was issued by the Public Administration Ministry.

However, after the new Government took office, a new circular was issued notifying that the new Cabinet of Ministers at a meeting held on 2 January; had decided to suspend the provisions of the earlier public administration circular dated 10 December 2019, until the pension anomalies of all the pensioners are resolved as per the new Government Policy.

The Petitioners said that around 110,000 pensioners are adversely affected by the Government’s decision to suspend the pension hike and seek an Order from the CA to stop the operation of the second circular.