Dr. Ajit Kumar Goyal vs Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Of Delhi

Hon’ble Mr. B. Anand, Member (A):

The applicant is aggrieved by the inaction of the respondents in not making timely payment of his retirement benefits. He had earlier approached this Tribunal by filing OA No. 2146/2023 and batch, which was decided on 17.05.2024. The operative portion of the said order provided that interest on delayed payment of retirement benefits would be payable to the applicant only from three months from the date of receipt of a certified copy of the order.

Aggrieved by the said decision, the applicant approached the Hon’ble High Court. Vide order dated 08.12.2025, the Hon’ble High Court set aside the order passed by this Tribunal dated 17.05.2024 and remanded back the matter to this Tribunal and also directed that interest on delayed payment of retirement benefits shall be payable by the respondents from the date on which the said benefits became due and payable to the applicant until the date of actual payment as per the rate of interest indicated in the Order of the Full Bench decision dated 30.10.2025 in OA No. 2821/2023. The Hon’ble High Court further directed the respondents to pay the applicable interest on the delayed payment of pensionary benefits within six weeks from the date of the Order.

Learned counsel for the applicant submits today that the issue involved in the present OA is no longer res integra in view of the decision of the Full Bench of this Tribunal in Rajbir Singh Vs. Municipal Corporation of Delhi & Anr., OA No. 2821/2023, decided on 30.10.2025, wherein it has been held that delayed payment of pensionary benefits attracts interest at the applicable GPF rates and that such interest is to be computed on a compound interest basis. He submits that the applicant would be satisfied if a direction is issued to the respondents to consider his claim for interest on the delayed payment of retirement benefits in the light of the aforesaid decision.

Per contra, learned counsel for the respondents submits that the issue of interest on delayed payment has not attained Central Administrative Tribunal^{finality, as the respondents have challenged the order dated} 30.10.2025 passed by the Full Bench of this Tribunal in OA No. 2821/2023 before the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi by way of Writ Petition No. 401/2025, which is stated to be pending adjudication.

Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the material available on record.

In view of the submissions made by learned counsel for the applicant and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the claim for interest on delayed payment of retirement benefits, we consider it appropriate to dispose of the present OA with a direction to the competent authority amongst the respondents to examine and consider the applicant’s claim for interest on delayed payment of retirement benefits in the light of the decision of the Full Bench of this Tribunal in Rajbir Singh (supra), subject to the outcome of Writ Petition No. 401/2025 pending before the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi. The competent authority shall pass a reasoned and speaking order, in accordance with law, within a period of six weeks from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order.

The OA stands disposed of in the above terms.

However, there shall be no order as to costs.