The Punjab and Haryana high court has dismissed the plea of a retired lab attendant of a Haryana government-aided college seeking a higher pay scale and consequential revision of pension, holding that a long-pending service dispute cannot be revived years after retirement by presenting it as a pension claim.
However, the petitioner did not successfully pursue his claim during his service. The court also laid down broad principles governing delayed service claims. However, where the employee has already retired, a grievance regarding pay fixation cannot be converted into a continuing pension dispute.
The state government had subsequently issued an order in 2009 extending the revised scale with effect from January 1, 1986. He approached the HC again in 2026, more than a decade after retirement, seeking refixation of his pension on the basis of the higher pay scale.
It said pay-fixation disputes can generally be raised during service, with arrears ordinarily restricted to three years.
