Update:IV CPC Rank Pay Contempt Petition Case as on 31 Mar 2014

The case came up for hearing today ie 31 Mar 2014 in the Court of Justice RM Lodha.
After hearing the Solicitor General, the Court exempted the Contemnors (Ex Def Secy and present CAG, CGDA since promoted to Def Fin, Ex Secy Def Fin, and ex Secy Expenditure since both retd) from personal appearance.

The Court directed the petitioners (RDOA) to file application for impleadment of present Def Secy and CGDA within two weeks.

Link to court order: Court order of 31 Mar 14

 http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/casestatus_new/querycheck_page2.asp

Voting Rights for Defence Pers

In a petition on Voting Rights for Defence Persons the Supreme Court has passed orders that 'In peace Stations the defence personnel can vote at their place of posting'.
The court also set aside the ruling of EC that the minimum period required for posting is three years. As per the court anyone who has been in stn on 1/1/2014 is entitled to cast vote. MoD and ECI were against  the proposal.

During the discussion held with EC Mr Brahma under the ageis of Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar MP, on the subject issue, RDOA had recommended strongly that defence persons posted in peace areas must be allowed to vote at their place of posting. RDOA commends the efforts of Mr R Chandrasekhar MP Rajya Sabha to this effect.

An article on this issue is also posted on the BlogSpot of harmed forces. Pse go through it. harmedforces.blogspot.inVoting Rights for Defence 

Indian Express: CAG seeks exemption from appearing as Contemnor

http://epaper.indianexpress.com/c/2541761

Update IV CPC Rank Pay Case Contempt Petition

The IV CPC Rank Pay Contempt Petition came up for hearing on 10 March 14 in Court no 2 (Justice RM Lodha). RDOA moved application for grant of one more week to file Rejoinder to the reply filed by UOI/MoD which the Court was pleased to grant.
None of the four Contemnors was present in the Court. Absented again.
Next date of hearing has been scheduled for 31 Mar 2014.

 

Removal of Anomaly/Refixation of Pension of Majors/Lt Cols (Select/TS)

By Email: RDOA/RM/OROP/3/14 dt 07 Mar 14

To,

Shri AK Antony,

Hon’ble Raksha Mantri,
Ministry of Defence,
South Block, New Delhi-110011

 REMOVAL OF ANOMALY / RATIONALISATION IN PENSION OF MAJORS/LT COL (TS)/LT COL (SELECT) CONSEQUENT TO IMPLEMETATION OF AJAI VIKRAM SINGH REPORT ON 16 DEC 2004 AND INTRODUCTION OF OROP

 Dear Sir,

 The AVS Report was implemented on 16 Dec 2004.  Consequent to its implementation the promotion prospects of the officers of the armed forces improved considerably but left the pre 2004 retirees in the lurch. As per the report, officers are now promoted to the ranks of Captain, Major, Lt Col and Colonel by Time scale on completion of 2, 6, 13 and 26 years of commissioned service. By this yard stick minimum rank attainable is that of Colonel unless an officer decides to go on pre mature retirement.

 Those officers who were Lt Col (Select)/Lt Col (TS) and had the age advantage with them got promoted to the rank of Col (TS) with pay and pension on 16 Dec 2004. Such other officers who did not have the age factor in their favor retired in the rank of Lt Col whether Select or TS thereby losing out on pension. Rightfully the benefit of pension of Col TS should have been extended to all Lt Cols (Select/TS) who retired with 26 years of service or more.

 ‘ What is discriminatory is introduction of a benefit retrospectively or prospectively by fixing a cut off date arbitrarily thereby dividing a single homogeneous class of pensioners into two groups and subjecting them to different treatment’

 No action has been taken to resolve this anomaly. Another class of officers who are suffering in silence are the Majors. An officer became a Major in 13 yrs at III CPC which got reduced to 11 yrs at IV CPC and 10 yrs at V CPC. IV CPC had recommended abolition of the promotion to the Select rank of Lt Col which was accepted by the Govt and was also pulished in the Special Army Order 1/S//87 but somehow this never got implemented for reasons best known to MoD and Service Hqs.

 AVS I report further reduced the qualifying service to 6 yrs for Major and made 13 yrs for substantive Lt Col wef Dec 2004. 6 CPC put Major in pay band 3 and Lt Col in pay band 4, thereby drastically reducing the pay and pension of Major to Rs 18205/- for 25 yrs service as per letter of 17 Jan 2013.

 This BIG ANOMALY of pension of Major / Lt Col Select/TS needs to be corrected. As a onetime measure it is proposed that all Majors who have put in 13 yrs commissioned service should be granted pension of Lt Col and those officers who were in the rank of Lt Col Select/TS on 16 Dec 2004 and had retired should be given pension of Col TS provided they have completed 26 yrs commissioned service. The pension tables should be drawn accordingly with datum lines at 13 yrs and 26 yrs of commissioned service.

 With the grant of OROP, the pension gaps will further increase if not resolved before implementation of OROP. It is therefore requested that the rationalization of pensions be done in the best interests of the pensioners.

 Thanking you

With regards
Lt Col Satwant Singh (Retd)
Secretary General
For RDOA

 Copy to:-

Shri Jitendra Singh Raksha Rajya Mantri C-1/14 Lodi Garden New Delhi - 110 003	For information and action please
General Bikram Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC Chief of the Army Staff & Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee Integrated HQs of Armed Forces (Army) South Block, New Delhi-110011	Removal of anomalies prior to implementation of OROP
Vice Admiral RK Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM,                   YSM, ADC                                       Officiating Chief of the Naval Staff Integrated HQs of Armed Forces (Navy) South Block, New Delhi-110011	-do-
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC Chief of the Air Staff Indian Air Force Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi 110011 Secretary Deptt of Exserviceman Welfare Adjutant General AHQ Veterans Cell AG’s Branch AHQ	-do-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE:OROP

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU (DEFENCE WING)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

*********

GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO PROVIDE REQUIRED FUND TO IMPLEMENT OROP: ANTONY

New Delhi: 08 Phalguna 1935

Thursday, 27 February 2014

The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has assured the Services that the Government was fully committed to implement the One Rank, One Pay (OROP) Policy and that required funds will be made available to ensure its implementation. Chairing a meeting of the top brass of the Services and senior officials of MoD, here, last evening, Shri Antony said the Finance Minister had clarified that the figure of Rs 500 crores made available to implement the scheme was only ‘indicative’.

The meeting was convened by Shri Antony to discuss the modalities for implementation of OROP. It was attended among others by the Minister of State for Defence Shri Jitendra Singh, the Defence Secretary Shri RK Mathur, Secretary Ex- Servicemen’s Welfare Smt Sangita Gairola, Secretary Defence Finance Shri Arunava Dutt, the three Service Vice Chiefs  and AG from the Services Headquarters.

It was noted that “OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service irrespective of their date of retirement and any future enhancement in the rates of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of the current pensioners and the past pensioners, and also future enhancements in the rate of pension to be automatically passed on to the past pensioners”.

Shri Antony directed that the Controller General of Defence Accounts should initiate immediate necessary steps in consultation with the three Services, MoD Finance and Department of ESW to give effect to the decision. He also emphasized that family pensioners and disability pensioners would be included. Ex-Servicemen may also be appropriately consulted by the Services, Shri Antony said.

It may be recalled that improvements in the pension for Defence Services have been effected by the Government on three occasions in recent times - in 2006, 2010 and 2013. As a result of these changes, the gap in pension amount between pre-2006 and post-2006 retirees has been bridged substantially. However, keeping in view the long- standing demand, the Government has accepted the principle of OROP for Defence Services.

Sitanshu Kar