The Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has given the UT Administration a final opportunity to comply with its order extending the benefits of the old pension scheme to five doctors of the UT Health Department. These doctors were regularised after January 1, 2004.
Supreme Court Dismisses SLP
In his order, Tribunal Member (Judicial) Suresh Kumar Batra noted that the applicants’ counsel presented the Supreme Court order dated May 26, 2026, which dismissed the special leave petition (SLP) filed by the Chandigarh Administration against the Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment of October 14, 2025. The tribunal observed that the UT Administration had candidly submitted before the apex court that the matter was covered by the Supreme Court’s earlier judgment in State of Himachal Pradesh vs Sheela Devi.
High Court Upheld Tribunal Order
The High Court had upheld the tribunal’s January 29, 2025, order while dismissing the UT Administration’s writ petition. Despite the dismissal of the SLP, the administration has not yet implemented the tribunal’s directions. The tribunal has now granted one last opportunity for compliance before the next hearing on July 8, 2026.
Details of the Doctors’ Case
The five doctors — Dr Shivetambari Cheema, Dr Ravinderjit Singh, Dr Sonia Arora, Dr Monika Shangari and Dr Anjali Gupta — approached the tribunal through advocate Rishav Sharma, seeking consequential benefits, including coverage under the old pension scheme, following their regularisation.
In its January 29, 2025, judgment, the tribunal quashed the UT Administration’s August 11, 2022, order that rejected their claim for consequential benefits from the date of regularisation and consideration under the old pension scheme.
Doctors’ Arguments
The doctors contended that they were appointed as Assistant Medical Officers against regular sanctioned posts between 1997 and 2002 on a contractual basis after fulfilling all prescribed qualifications. They argued that since their initial appointments were made through a proper selection process and later regularised pursuant to court orders, the contractual service rendered before regularisation should be counted as qualifying service for pensionary benefits and for coverage under the old pension scheme.
The tribunal had earlier directed the administration to regularise their services after completion of 10 years. Relying on several judicial precedents, including the Supreme Court’s 2023 judgment in State of Himachal Pradesh vs Sheela Devi, the applicants argued that contractual service is countable towards qualifying service for pensionary benefits, making them eligible for the old pension scheme.
