With pensioners in Telangana seeing pay cuts on par with employees, the High Court asked the state government on Monday to disburse pending pensions in one go and not in installments, as soon as possible. The Bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy was hearing writ petitions and PILs (Public Interest Litigations) that asked for pending pension amounts to be disbursed soon, according to media reports.
The Times of India reported that during the hearing, advocate general BS Prasad representing the state government, informed the Bench that an ordinance for the refunding the amount has already been approved by the cabinet and would be placed in the Assembly. Citing this, the state government requested that the matter be adjourned till the end of the ongoing Assembly sessions. Following this, the court adjourned the case to October 1.
Pensioners in the state, along with other government employees, have been experiencing a pay cut since March, as a result of the economic crisis arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, several pensioners who are dependent on their pensions had complained that they were going through a financial crisis.
Earlier, the state government announced and implemented a 75% cut in the salaries of the Chief Minister, cabinet ministers, Members of Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly members besides state corporation chairpersons and representatives of local bodies.
There was a 60% salary cut for bureaucrats while all other categories of employees faced a 50% salary cut.
Meanwhile, Class IV, outsourcing and contract employees faced a 10% salary cut. In sync with the same, all categories of pensioners also faced a 50% cut in pensions since then.