A delay in releasing pension - a violation of human rights

Delay in releasing pension- a violation of human rights.

A delay in releasing pension can now amount to a violation of human rights. In a landmark judgment, the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has directed the municipality of Akola to release an interim payment of Rs 2 crore (approx) to 370-odd retired teachers after they moved the commission to plead euthanasia.

The petitioners are a group of senior citizens who claim to be physically and financially weak. As per the petition, the municipality had not issued them their pension for five months in a row without any notice or reason. They alleged that while a few of these teachers were on their death bed, some had died due to lack of medical facilities and treatment.

The municipality and the education department failed to give any reason to the commission for its failure to issue pensions to the petitioners for five months.

The petitioners had approached the commission in February this year after their repeated requests to the municipality, the mayor of Akola and local politicians went unheard. "The commission took cognizance of the grievances of the retired teachers who were employees of the municipal corporation, Akola, in the light of their plight in facing day to day problems. Therefore, the commission visualized and understood the gravity and the seriousness of the issue and gave interim direction," reads the order passed by Bhagwant D More, member MHRC, on March 23.

The municipality, through the state's education department, has been asked to settle the remaining dues (close to Rs 4 crore) by May 14.

The municipality even did not bother to respond to the commission's first notice. Neither did the commissioner himself appear before the commission nor did his representative turn up for the hearing. "This shows the reluctance on the part of the municipal commissioner to help the senior citizens who are retired teachers of municipal corporation schools. It has been pointed out by the retired teachers present during the hearing that they were never given patient hearing, proper treatment and were treated without empathy. They always got disgusting treatment at the hands of the administration as and when they approached the authority," states the MHRC order.

However, it was only after the commission passed an interim order to pay the pension that the municipality woke up and did the needful.