Government Employees Also Deserve Uniform Retirement Benefits: AIDEF Leader C. Srikumar Welcomes Supreme Court Verdict

Welcoming the Supreme Court’s recent judgment advocating uniform post-retirement benefits for High Court judges across the country, veteran Central Government employees’ leader C. Srikumar has said that the same principle should be extended to Central Government employees by restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

The Supreme Court, in its recent ruling, directed the Government of India to constitute a committee within 15 days to examine disparities in post-retirement benefits for High Court judges. The committee has been asked to submit its recommendations within three months to both the Government and the Supreme Court. The objective is to ensure uniformity in retirement benefits and eliminate disparities among retired High Court judges.

Reacting to the judgment, C. Srikumar, a senior leader of the All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF), said the verdict reinforces the long-standing demand of government employees for equal post-retirement benefits irrespective of their date of appointment.

“How can there be three different pension schemes for Central Government employees?” Srikumar questioned.

He pointed out that currently three pension systems exist for Central Government employees:

• The Old Pension Scheme (OPS), a non-contributory and defined-benefit pension system.
• The National Pension System (NPS), a contributory scheme without any guaranteed minimum pension equivalent to 50% of the last basic pay.
• The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), under which both the government and employees contribute, while the government retains the majority of the accumulated contributions and promises an assured pension.

According to Srikumar, this distinction solely based on the date of recruitment is unjustified.

“All Central Government employees serve the nation and dedicate more than 60 percent of their lifespan to nation-building in various capacities. There should not be discrimination in retirement benefits merely because of the date on which an employee joined service,” he said.

He argued that the Supreme Court’s observations on eliminating disparities in post-retirement benefits should also apply to Central Government employees. He urged the Government of India and the 8th Central Pay Commission (8th CPC) to consider restoring the non-contributory Old Pension Scheme for employees recruited on or after January 1, 2004.

Srikumar reiterated that AIDEF would continue its campaign for restoration of OPS until the demand is accepted.

Concern Over Disparities in Compassionate Appointments

Apart from pension-related issues, Srikumar also expressed concern over what he described as discriminatory policies governing compassionate appointments in different Central Government departments.

He noted that while compassionate appointments in the Indian Railways are reportedly provided without such restrictions, Defence establishments and several other Central Government ministries continue to operate under a ceiling of only five percent.

He further highlighted that compassionate appointments have been suspended for five years in the corporatised Ordnance Factory units and have also been adversely impacted in the Army due to post-optimization measures.

Srikumar said he had raised these concerns during the 49th National Council (JCM) meeting, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on May 11, 2026, but the disparities continue.

He called upon the Government to remove these inconsistencies and ensure equal treatment for all Central Government employees, both in pension benefits and compassionate appointment policies.