Kochi: The Kerala High Court criticised the state government over the delay in disbursing the pension of the retired KSRTC staff. 

While considering a contempt of court petition on Thursday, the court asked whether the government does not feel sad about the incidents of retired employees committing suicide without getting a pension. 

The bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran said that it is painful to know that some pensioners are taking extreme steps in desperation. The court was referring to the suicide of a pensioner in the Kattakkada depot in Thiruvananthapuram, allegedly due to the delay in receiving the pension. 

However, the government argued that it could not be confirmed that the suicide was not linked to a delay in receiving the pension. The court also pointed out that the government has a "constitutional obligation" to disburse pension. 

The court also directed that the pension in September should not be delayed due to Onam. Meanwhile, the government has informed the court that the pension until July has been paid.