SC criticises Centre for delay in deciding on regular Captain's pension under OROP scheme

New Delhi [India], July 30 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticised the Centre for not being able to make decisions relating to the pension payable to regular captains in accordance with the One Rank One Pension Scheme (OROP) and imposed a cost on it.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and R. Mahadevan, however, gave a last chance to the Union Government to resolve the issue relating to pensions under the scheme. The court granted time to the Centre until mid-November and adjourned the matter.
The court said, "How many years will it go on like this? They are retired captains." The court warned that if the decision is not taken by the next date of hearing, then it will direct that the regular captains will get their pensions enhanced by 10 per cent."
The court directed that the cost amounting to some lakhs be deposited in the Armed Forces welfare funds.
When the hearing began today, the court sought to know the status of the pension under the scheme. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati apologised to the court and said that despite working on it no decision has taken place yet. She sought three months. But the court expressed unhappiness with the centre for taking any decision in this regard.
The court was dealing with the issue related to the pension payable to the regular captains, whereby there was an anomaly that required resolution for the implementation of the One Rank One Pension Scheme.