Authority: High Court of Odisha at Cuttack

Order Date: 06 July 2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioner Rankanidhi Panda filed W.P.(C) No.24565 of 2014 seeking a writ of mandamus to quash the retirement order dated 31‑July‑2014 and to allow him to serve until the statutory superannuation age of 60 years.
  • The petitioner relied on a Finance Department resolution dated 28‑June‑2014 (Annexure‑2) and a Department of Public Enterprises direction dated 02‑Aug‑2014 (Annexure‑3) which purportedly entitled him to continue service up to age 60.
  • The corporation later issued an order on 24‑Oct‑2014 (Annexure‑5) extending the retirement age to 60 years for employees retiring on or after October 2014.
  • Counsel for the corporation argued that the petitioner had already retired before the October 2014 extension and therefore was not eligible for the benefit.
  • The corporation also cited the Court’s earlier judgment dated 23‑Feb‑2024 in W.P.(C) No.13300/2020, which rejected a similar claim by employees who retired prior to October 2014.

Final Outcome

  • The Court held that the petitioner retired at age 58 on 31‑July‑2014, prior to the corporation’s October 2014 order extending the retirement age.
  • Relying on the precedent of W.P.(C) No.13300/2020, the Court concluded that the petitioner is not entitled to the continuance sought.
  • Accordingly, the writ petition is dismissed and no direction is issued to the corporation.

Topics: Employment Law, Retirement Policy