The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government and Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University to pay ₹5 lakh each to former professor Shoma Sen, who is an accused in the Elgaar Parishad case, as part of her retirement benefits.
‘Dues withheld’
Ms. Sen had approached the court claiming that the varsity had withheld her gratuity and Provident Fund dues since her retirement in 2018. The court earlier this month directed the varsity to pay a sum of ₹5 lakh to Ms. Sen as an interim arrangement. Nagpur university, however, filed an application seeking to deposit the sum with the court’s registry instead of paying it directly to Ms. Sen.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Ravi Deshpande on Friday said the varsity delayed the processing of Ms. Sen’s pension documents. “It is most unfortunate that during testing times, a retired teacher has been left to fend for herself without the university taking adequate care and interest to clear her dues,” the court said.
Ms. Sen’s advocate, Prakash Meghe, told the court that she was entitled to ₹14 lakh as part of her gratuity. The Bench dismissed the varsity’s application seeking to deposit the money with the court’s registry. “We direct the varsity to pay ₹5 lakh to the petitioner within a week,” the court said.
The Bench also directed the Maharashtra government to release an additional ₹5 lakh to Ms. Sen on ad hoc basis within a month.
‘Entitled to more money’
The court said Ms. Sen was entitled to a higher amount. “The university shall process all papers and forward them to the government within one week. The State department concerned shall take necessary steps,” the court order said.
