Authority: Calcutta High Court, Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri
Order Date: 14 August 2026
Case Overview
- Petitioner: Prof. (Dr.) Rajendra Dhar Dubey (Retd.), former Professor at Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University.
- Respondents: State of West Bengal and others, including the Vice‑Chancellor of Cooch Behar University and the Registrar of North Bengal University.
- The petitioner was superannuated on 31 August 2025 and alleges non‑payment of pensionary benefits. He filed a representation dated 26 April 2026 (Annexure P‑6, page 32) seeking pension entitlement.
- The State contends that the petitioner served only seven years, not the ten years required for pension eligibility, and points to his prior contractual appointment at North Bengal University as relevant.
- No respondents other than the State appeared before the Court.
Final Outcome
- The Court disposed W.P.A. 1366 of 2026 without any order as to costs and without deciding the merits.
- Directions issued to the Vice‑Chancellor of Cooch Behar University:
- Within two weeks, request all relevant records from North Bengal University through its Registrar.
- Issue a prior hearing notice of at least seven days to the petitioner and, after hearing, pass a reasoned order on the representation dated 26 April 2026 within four weeks of receiving the records.
- Communicate the reasoned order to the petitioner and North Bengal University within two weeks of its issuance.
- If the reasoned order favors the petitioner, implement all necessary steps within six weeks of that order.
- The Court clarified that the order does not create any right or equity for the petitioner if the records show he is ineligible for pension benefits, and it has not examined the substantive contentions of either party.
Topics: Pension entitlement, Higher education employment, Judicial procedural order