AI Structured Summary
Facts, law points, precedents, ratio and the final ruling — distilled from the full judgment
AI Structured Summary
Facts, law points, precedents, ratio and the final ruling — distilled from the full judgment
Facts
The petitioner filed a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India seeking payment of monetary benefits by applying the 6th Pay Commission Report to teachers of schools in Delhi in terms of the order of the Director of Education dated 11.2.2009. The petitioner superannuated from respondent No.1 school on 31.10.2010. Her case was that the amounts payable to her, including terminal dues and pension, had been wrongly calculated under different heads at the time of her superannuation. The writ petition was filed on 3.12.2015. The court held that the challenge to the calculation of terminal dues and pension was a single cause of action, not a recurring cause of action, and that the petition was barred by limitation and delay and laches.
Law Points
Whether the writ petition seeking monetary benefits by application of the 6th Pay Commission Report and the order of the Director of Education dated 11.2.2009 was barred by delay and laches or limitation; whether the calculation of terminal dues including pension on superannuation gives rise to a recurring cause of action; and whether powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India can be exercised to circumvent the law of limitation.
Acts & Articles
Constitution of India, Article 226; Limitation Act, 1963, including Section 3 as quoted in the judgment.
Judgments Referred
State of Orissa and Another Vs. Mamata Mohanty (2011) 3 SCC 436 — relied on and applied for the doctrine of delay and laches; paragraphs 52 to 54 were quoted, including the observations that the Limitation Act, 1963 does not apply in writ jurisdiction but the principles of limitation based on public policy are applicable, and that a litigant cannot claim benefit from a judgment in another case to explain delay.
Obiter Dicta
The court observed that Article 226 of the Constitution of India is for enforcing the laws of the country, including the Limitation Act, and that powers under Article 226 cannot be exercised to breach the laws.
Ratio Decidendi
A writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India is subject to the doctrine of delay and laches. Where an employee challenges an order or orders calculating terminal dues including pension passed at the time of superannuation, the challenge is to a single cause of action and is not a recurring cause of action. A petition filed long after that cause of action arose is barred by delay and laches, and Article 226 cannot be used to circumvent limitation.
Final Ruling
The writ petition was dismissed as barred by delay and laches, leaving the parties to bear their own costs. The petitioner did not get the relief of monetary benefits by application of the 6th Pay Commission Report or the order of the Director of Education dated 11.2.2009.
Plain-Language Gist
The petitioner retired from the school in 2010 and later filed a writ petition in 2015 claiming that her terminal dues and pension had been wrongly calculated and that pay commission benefits should be applied. The court held that the challenge to the calculation was a one-time cause of action, not a recurring one, and that the petition was too late. It dismissed the petition on the ground of delay and laches, saying Article 226 cannot be used to avoid limitation.
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Judgment
By this writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the petitioner seeks the relief of payment of monetary benefits by application of 6th Pay Commission Report to teachers of the schools in Delhi in terms of the order of the Director of Education dated 11.2.2009.
It is seen that the petitioner in this case superannuated from the respondent no.1/school on 31.10.2010. Calculation of the terminal dues including calculation of payment of pension which is to be made is in terms of a specific order which is passed when an employee superannuates, and it is such order which gives cause of action to an employee/teacher of the school to challenge the same on the ground that the same wrongly calculates the terminal dues including the pension. Such an order which is passed calculating the terminal dues and pension is not a recurring cause of action. All specific amounts are calculated by a specific order or orders passed. Petitioner's case is that the amounts have been wrongly calculated under different heads at the time of superannuation of the petitioner, and therefore, wrongly calculating the amounts payable to the petitioner is only a singular cause of action and there is no recurring cause of action. Once there is only a single cause of action of an order or orders passed of wrongly calculating the terminal dues of the petitioner including the pension, and which was/were passed when the petitioner retired way back on 31.10.2010, this writ petition which is filed on 3.12.2015 will be barred by limitation and has to be dismissed by applying the doctrine of delay and laches as held by the Supreme Court in the case of State of Orissa and Another Vs. Mamata Mohanty (2011) 3 SCC 436, and relevant paras of which judgment read as under:- "52. In the very first appeal, the respondent filed writ petition on 11.11.2005 claiming relief under the Notification dated 6.10.1989 w.e.f. 1.1.1986 without furnishing any explanation for such inordinate delay and on laches on her part. Section 3 of the Limitation Act 1963, makes it obligatory on the part of the court to dismiss the Suit or appeal if made after the prescribed period even though the limitation is not set up as a defence and there is no plea to raise the issue of limitation even at appellate stage because in some of the cases it may go to the root of the matter. 53. Needless to say that Limitation Act 1963 does not apply in writ jurisdiction. However, the doctrine of limitation being based on public policy, the principles enshrined therein are applicable and writ petitions are dismissed at initial stage on the ground of delay and laches. In a case like at hand, getting a particular pay scale may give rise to a recurring cause of action. In such an eventuality, the petition may be dismissed on the ground of delay and laches and the court may refuse to grant relief for the initial period in case of an unexplained and inordinate delay. In the instant case, the Respondent claimed the relief from 1.1.1986 by filing a petition on 11.11.2005 but the High Court for some unexplained reason granted the relief w.e.f. 1.6.1984, though even the Notification dated 6.10.1989 makes it applicable w.e.f. 1.1.1986. 54. This Court has consistently rejected the contention that a petition should be considered ignoring the delay and laches in case the petitioner approaches the Court after coming to know of the relief granted by the Court in a similar case as the same cannot furnish a proper explanation for delay and laches. A litigant cannot wake up from deep slumber and claim impetus from the judgment in cases where some diligent person had approached the Court within a reasonable time."
Obviously, if a suit is time barred, the limitation period cannot be circumvented by claiming that limitation period does not apply to writ petitions. It is for this reason that ratio has been laid down by the Supreme Court in the case of Mamata Mohanty (supra) inasmuch as, the Limitation Act, 1963 otherwise can be conveniently overlooked simply by a person pleading that in a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, limitation period does not apply. Provision of Article 226 of the Constitution of India is for enforcing the laws of this country, including the Limitation Act, and powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India cannot be exercised to breach the laws.
In view of the above, the petition is barred by delay and laches and the same is therefore dismissed, leaving the parties to bear their own costs.