IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM PRESENT : THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE S.SIRI JAGAN WEDNESDAY, THE 15TH OCTOBER 2008 / 23RD ASWINA 1930 WP(C).No. 28967 of 2008(W) -------------------------- PETITIONER(S): --------------- T.P.PRAHLADEN PILLAI, (INSPECTOR, KSRTC, PATHANAMTHITTA DEPOT, RTD.ON 28.2.2005) DWARAKA, KEEZHERIMEL CHENGANNOOR PO., ALAPPUZHA. BY ADV. SRI.K.P.RAJEEVAN RESPONDENT(S): ---------------- 1. KERALA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION, REP. BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR TRANSPORTO BHAVAN, FORT, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. 2. DISTRICT TRANSPORT OFFICER, KSRTC, PATHANAMTHITTA. SRI. JOHNSON P. JOHN -SC THIS WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON 15/10/2008, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING: S. SIRI JAGAN, J. ------------------------------------ W.P.(C)No.28967 OF 2008 ---------------------------------------- Dated this the 15th day of October, 2008 JUDGMENT The petitioner retired from service of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation on 28.2.2005. The petitioner's grievance in this writ petition is that although his turn has come in accordinace with the priority of retirement for payment of DCRG and Commuted Value of Pension and other benefits, the same are not disbursed to him. He submits that as per the information supplied to him under the Right to Information Act, the State Public Information Officer of the KSRTC has informed him that the retirement benefits have been released to persons, who have retired up to April 2005 and therefore, the petitioner submits that he having been retired on 28.2.2005 is entitled to payment of balance retirement benefits due to him. 2. The learned Standing Counsel appearing for the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation does not dispute that the turn of the petitioner has already arisen for payment of the retirement benefits. He submits that the non-payment is only due to an W.P.(c)No.28967/08 2 audit objection to be cleared in the Service Book and therefore, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation would require one more months' time to pay the pensionary benefits. 3. The petitioner has already waited for more than three and a half years for payment of the retirement benefits legally due to him. If there was any audit objection, there was no difficulty for the KSRTC to get it cleared within the said period. Therefore, I do not find any justification in the contention raised by the KSRTC. In the above circumstances, this writ petition is disposed of with a direction to the respondents to see that the entire balance retirement benefits due to the petitioner is disbursed within a period of two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment. S. SIRI JAGAN, JUDGE Acd W.P.(c)No.28967/08 3