Authority: High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur

Order Date: 20 July 2026

Case Overview

  • Parties: Appellant Satya Prakash Verma (aged ~69, resident Raipur) vs. Employees Provident Fund Organization (through Commissioner Regional Officer Block D), Chhattisgarh State Co‑Operative Dairy Federation (through Managing Director), and Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner (MPCG EPFO Zonal Officer).
  • Nature: Writ appeal (WA No.604/2026) challenging the order dated 15 April 2026 of the learned Single Judge in WPS No.7998/2024, which dismissed the appellant’s earlier writ petition concerning pension benefits under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995.
  • Background: The appellant retired before the amendment effective 1 September 2014 to the Pension Scheme. He exercised the option under Paragraph 11(3) only in 2018, after the R.C. Gupta decision, and sought restoration of higher pension benefits.
  • Legal Reasoning: The Court referred to its earlier judgment in WA No.516/2026 (R.K. Chalisgaonkar vs. EPFO & Others) which held that the 2014 amendment applied only to members who were in service on 1 Sept 2014; retirees before that date could not claim benefits under the amended provisions unless they had exercised the option before retirement. The appellant had not done so, and therefore the respondents were justified in withdrawing the higher pension.
  • The Court observed that the present case is fact‑wise identical to WA No.516/2026 and found no palpable infirmity in the Single Judge’s order.

Final Outcome

  • The appeal is dismissed in accordance with the order dated 23 June 2026 in WA No.516/2026, confirming the Single Judge’s decision and denying any restoration of pension benefits to the appellant.

Topics: Pension Benefits, Court Judgment