Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Human Rights Commission has ruled that failing to return Provident Fund (PF) deposits contributed by employees during their service period is illegal. The order, issued by Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas to the Managing Director of KSRTC, directs the corporation to release the pending PF amount without further delay.

The complaint highlighted that KSRTC had refused to sanction the PF amount. In its clarification, the Chief Law Officer stated that due to severe financial difficulties, the corporation had been unable to distribute pensions and other benefits on time. The report also claimed that PF amounts for employees who retired up to May 2023 had already been approved.

The directive comes in response to a complaint from an employee who retired from the Vikas Bhavan Depot in May 2024 and had not yet received his PF amount. The commission has ordered that the amount must be returned within two months.

The complainant had taken a loan from HDFC Bank and required the PF deposit to repay it. He added that KSRTC’s justification was incorrect, as information obtained under the Right to Information Act showed that employees who retired after him had already received their PF payments.