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PETITIONER: B.P. SINGH AND ORS.

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: DIRECTOR GENERAL, ORDNANCE FACTORY AND ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT09/07/1991

BENCH: KULDIP SINGH (J) BENCH: KULDIP SINGH (J) KASLIWAL, N.M. (J)

CITATION:  1991 AIR 1805            1991 SCR  (2) 836  1991 SCC  (4) 136        JT 1991 (3)    29  1991 SCALE  (2)8

ACT:      Civil  Service-Teachers  employed  in  the  schools   & controlled  by Defence Department-Age of retirement  whether 58 or 60 years.

HEADNOTE:      In   the  petition  filed  under  Article  32  of   the Constitution of India, the petitioners teachers, employed in the  schools  run  by the  respondents,  controlled  by  the Defence  Department  of the Government of  India,  contended that  the action of the respondents in retiring them at  the age  of  58  years,  whereas  retaining  similarly  situated teachers  working  in other departments upto the age  of  60 years was discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution.      The  respondents  filed  the  Office  Memorandum  dated 10.3.1989  issued by the Ministry of Personnel,  wherein  it was  stated  that  the age of  retirement  of  the  teachers working  in  all  the  Departments  and  Organisations   was uniformly fixed at 58 years.      Dismissing the petition, this Court,      HELD:  With  effect  from  April 1,  1989  the  age  of superannuation of all teachers working in Central Government Departments  and Organisations including  Union  Territories has been uniformly fixed at 58 years. [838F]

JUDGMENT:      ORIGINAL  JURISDICTION: Writ petition  (C) No.  118  of 1987.      Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India.      O.P. Sharma, K.R. Gupta, Vivek Sharma, R.C. Gubrele and Ms. Nanita Sharma for the Petitioners.      M. Chander Sekhran, Additional Solicitor General-I,  P. Parmeshwaran, S. N. Terda, Ms. Kitty Kumaramangalam, Ms.  A. Subhashini and Ms. Sangeeta Aggarwal for the Respondents.                                                        837      The Judgment of the Court was delivered by      KULDIP  SINGH,  J. B.P. Singh and nine  other  teachers employed  in  the schools run by the Ordnance  Factories  at

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Kanpur  and  Muradnagar,  have  filed  this  petition  under Article  32 of the Constitution of India  challenging  their retirement  from service on attaining the age of  58  years. They  claim  that  they  are entitled to  have  the  age  of superannuation fixed at 60 years instead of 58 years.      Mr.  O.P.  Sharma, learned counsel  appearing  for  the petitioners, has contended that the age of superannuation of the  teachers working in the schools controlled  by  various departments  of Government of India other than  the  Defence Department  has been enhanced to 60 years and  according  to him  there  is no justification to single-out  the  teachers working  in the schools run by the Ordnance Factories  under the control of the Defence Department of Government of India      Mr.  Sharma has relied upon a Memorandum issued by  the Government  of India, Ministry of Education dated  September 6,  1983  by  which the age of Retirement  of  Delhi  School Teachers and teachers in other Union Territories was  raised to 60 years.  He has also relied on a Memorandum dated March 9,  1984  issued  by the Railway Board wherein  the  age  of superannuation  of  the  teachers  working  in  the  Railway schools was also enhanced to 60 years.      Mr.  Sharma  has  thus argued that the  action  of  the respondents  in  retiring the petitioners at the age  of  58 years whereas retaining similarly situated teachers  working in other departments of Government of India upto the age  of 60  Years,  is  discriminatory  and  as  such  violative  of Articles  14  and 16 of the Constitution  of  India.   Prima facie there seems to be force in the argument but in view of the  Office  Memorandum dated March 10, 1989 issued  by  the Government of India, Ministry of Personnel, New Delhi, it is not   necessary   to  examine  the  same.   Shri   N.   Siva Subramaniam,  Joint  Secretary,  Ministry  of  Defence  has, alongwith an additional affidavit dated March 16, 1989 filed the  said  Memorandum  in this  court  which  is  reproduced hereunder:          "As the Ministry of Human Resource Development etc.          are  aware,  the  age  of  superannuation  for  all          Central   Government  employees,  save   with   the          exception of a few categories, has been fixed at 58          years and they are to retire on the last day of the          month in which they attain that age.                                                        838          However,  there  is  no uniformity in  the  age  of          superannuation     of    teachers    in     various          schools/institutions in the Central Government.          2.  In the light of the observations of the  Fourth          Central   Pay  Commission  regarding  the  age   of          retirement  of  Central Government  employees,  the          Government has reviewed the entire question de novo          and  it  has  now  been decided  that  the  age  of          retirement   on  superannuation  of  all   teachers          working  in  Central  Government  Departments   and          Organisations  including Union Territories  may  be          uniformly  fixed at 58 years, whether they  are  in          the  Ministry of Education, Ministry  of  Railways,          Ministry     of     Defence    or     any     other          Ministry/Department  or  in  Delhi  Administration.          Consequently, in schools/institutions where the age          of  retirement  on superannuation for  teachers  in          presently fixed at 58 years, no change is  required          to  be  made and the incumbents as well  as  future          recruits  shall retire on attaining the age  of  58          years.  However, in regard to  schools/institutions          where  the age of retirement on superannuation  for          teachers  is presently fixed at 60  years/the  same

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        shall be lowered to 58 years w.e.f. 1st April, 1989          with the exception that the teachers who had joined          such schools/institutions prior to this date, shall          continue   to  enjoy  the  existing   benefit   and          superannuate  on  attaining the age  of  60  years.          Further, in  respect of such  schools/institutions,          no  new  appointment, either on regular or  ad  hoc          basis,  shall  be  made between the  date  of  this          Office Memorandum and 1.4.1989."       It is thus obvious that with effect from April 1, 1989 the age of superannuation of all teachers working in Central Government  Departments  and Organisations  including  Union Territories has been uniformly fixed at 58 years.  The  only argument  advanced by Mr. Sharma has, thus, been  completely answered by the above quoted Office Memorandum.      The  Writ  Petition is, therefore,  dismissed  with  no order as to costs. V.P.R.                                  Petition dismissed.                                                        839