Shimla – The state government of Himachal Pradesh has issued directives to disburse the arrears of revised gratuity to employees who retired post-2016, following a ruling by the Himachal High Court. The decision comes in light of a case filed by Gajraj Thakur against the Himachal Government’s Higher Education Department, prompting the High Court to issue a notice to the Director of Higher Education before referring the matter to the state government.
The Education Department forwarded the case, which subsequently received approval from the Finance Department to pay the arrears to petitioner Gajraj Thakur as per the court’s order. This decision has been communicated to the Hon’ble High Court by the Finance Secretary, highlighting that the arrears are specifically allocated to the petitioner.
Previously, the Himachal Government had not provided instructions for gratuity revision in office orders dated February 25, 2022, and September 17, 2022, pertaining to the new Pay Commission. However, with relaxations in both orders, approval has now been granted. Nonetheless, there is no universal decision yet regarding the provision of revised gratuity arrears to retired government employees post-2016.
It is noteworthy that despite the announcement by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in his second budget before the Lok Sabha elections, promising arrears to pensioners and instalment of dearness allowance to employees, opposition to the formula led to the withdrawal of employee arrears. Consequently, employees who retired post-2016 in Himachal Pradesh are still awaiting revised pensions and other benefits.
This recent development may pave the way for other retired employees to seek relief through legal channels, indicating a potential shift in the treatment of post-2016 retirees regarding gratuity and related entitlements.
