PIL challenging increase in retirement age of govt staff dismissed with cost

The Madras High Court dismissed a public interest litigation that challenged the State government’s decision to increase the retirement age of government employees to 60 from 59 after noting that the petition was misconceived and filed only for publicity purposes.

The court not only slapped a cost on the petitioner but also barred him from filing any PIL for two years without first taking permission from the relevant.

Hearing the PIL, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice PD Audikesavalu noted that the petitioner was contending that increasing retirement age was detrimental to the interest of those seeking to obtain government jobs in the State especially at a time when there is largescale unemployment. “However, the petition is bare-bodied and bereft of any details or material, leave alone any figures which would demonstrate that the decision is flawed,” the court held. “Indeed, the court is slow to interfere in matters of policy since it is the prerogative of the government. Further, a similar challenge carried by way of a writ petition has been dismissed by a coordinate bench by a terse order on July 16,” the bench noted.

The court then imposed a cost of Rs 5,000 on the petitioner for seeking to make a spectacle out of the matter, to be paid to the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority within a fortnight. “In addition, the petitioner will not be entitled to bring any public interest litigation in this court for a period of two years without obtaining the previous leave of the relevant bench,” the bench led by Chief Justice Banerjee added.

The petitioner, R Balamuralidharan, had challenged the notification dated February 25, by which a policy decision was taken by the State government to increase the retirement age of government employees to 60 from 59.