IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL Writ Petition No. 152 of 2003 (S/B) Hari Dutt Upreti and others ..……… Petitioners Versus Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation and another ……… Respondents. Mr. K.S. Bora, Advocate for the petitioners. Mr. Ramji Srivastava, Advocate for respondent No.1. Mr. R.S. Bisht, Advocate for respondent No.2. Hon’ble Tarun Agarwala, J. Heard Mr. K.S. Bora, the learned counsel for the petitioners, Mr. Ramji Srivastava, the learned counsel for respondent No.1 and Mr. R.S. Bisht, the learned counsel for respondent No.2. This petition is with regard to the payment of post retirement dues. The petitioners have retired on various dates from the year 1997 to the year 2002. It is alleged that the post retirement dues had not been paid to them, consequently, the petitioners filed the present writ petition praying for a writ of mandamus. During the pendency of the writ petition, the Uttarakhand Road Transport Corporation was impleaded, who have paid the post retirement dues in portions on various dates uptill the year 2007. Learned counsel for the petitioners states that post retirement dues have now been paid but interest on it has not been paid. Shri Ramji Srivastava, the learned counsel for the U.P. State Road Transport Corporation states that as per the internal arrangement between the U.P.S.R.T.C. and Uttarakhand Road Transport Corporation, the post retirement dues, etc. except pension is liable to be paid by the Uttarakhand Road Transport 2 Corporation. This fact has been admitted by Shri Rajeev Singh Bisht, the learned counsel for the Uttarakhand Road Transport Corporation. The learned counsel for the petitioner has placed reliance upon a Government Order dated 6th December, 1994 wherein 12% interest per annum has been imposed for belated payment on retirement gratuity. Post retirement benefits is not a bounty but a right which the petitioners are entitled to receive from the employer after putting in years of yeomen service. Such benefit is liable to be paid on the day when an employee retires. But this has not happened. The petitioners were not paid their retirement dues on the date when they had retired and had been made to run around in circles from pillar to post for the past ten years. In view of the aforesaid, this Court is of the opinion that the Uttarakhand Road Transport Corporation is liable to pay interest on post retirement dues. Admittedly, post retirement dues were paid belatedly and in stages. Consequently, the writ petition is disposed of with the direction to the Uttarakhand Road Transport Corporation to pay interest @ 6% per annum on belated payments from the date of retirement till the last payment within three months from the date of production of a certified copy of this order failing which interest would become payable beyond the last date of payment till it is actually paid. (Tarun Agarwala, J.) Dated 15.06.2010 Shiv