New Delhi: The supreme court served a notice to the opposing parties in the appeal filed by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) against the Kerala high court verdict that leads to disbursement of full pension.
The apex court demanded a response within two weeks and postponed the case to March 23. The bench headed by Justice U U Lalit assured that the case would not be postponed further and hearing will be conducted on a daily basis from the date.
The top court also directed that the high courts should not consider any contempt of court petitions filed in this regard until the case is considered. Justice Lalit said on Thursday that they were ready for a detailed hearing.
However, one of the lawyers of the petitioners had tested positive for COVID and they requested to postpone the case. As the matter affects thousands of people, the court disagreed to defer the case. But the parties did not reach a consensus on the issue and the case had to be postponed to March 23.
The EPFO had requested not to postpone the case as there is an interim petition filed for staying the Kerala high court verdict immediately. They argued that the pension will increase 50 times as per the high court verdict and they cannot recover the amount during the superannuation of the pensioners.
The bench headed by Justice U U Lalit in January withdrew only the supreme court verdict upholding the high court verdict. As the high court verdict was not stayed, it is still valid. Following this, EPFO requested to consider the case immediately.
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