New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the government’s decision on the Armed Forces’ One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, saying it was not arbitrary and there was no constitutional flaw in it. Hearing the matter, a three-judge bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud said that the decision taken by the central government with regard to OROP is not arbitrary and falls within the ambit of its policy making powers.
The Supreme Court also said that it is not the job of the court to interfere in the policy matters of the government.
Apart from Justice Chandrachud, the division bench that heard the matter also included Justices Surya Kant and Justice Vikram Nath.
Delivering its verdict on a petition filed by the Ex-Servicemen’s Association against the OROP scheme, the Bench observed that they did not find any constitutional flaw in the principle of OROP notified on November 7, 2015.
The Central Government says that the One Rank One Pension scheme ensures that all servicemen who have served in the same rank for the same period get the same pension, irrespective of the date on which they retire. Any increase in the pension under this scheme will automatically be added to the pension of the military personnel already taking pension.
The bench said that the government will have to reschedule the pension once in every five years. The petitioner had objection from this time that the pension scheme would be rescheduled once in five years. The petition sought to reschedule it every year, which was rejected by the Supreme Court.
—AnyTV News
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