AGM Estt BSNL CO issued orders for release of all the pending due benefits of the Executives and Employees who have opted for VRS 2019 and whose retirement benefits were kept on hold by MH Circle on basis of fake caste compliant. Copy<<<>>
This is a landmark triumph ending an agonizing seven year ordeal wherein justice prevailed for affected BSNL Executives and Employees from Maharashtra Circle who opted for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme 2019.
With this order, lakhs of rupees which were due on the date of VRS 2019 and forcefully and illegally kept on hold by BSNL MH Circle are released giving a great and much awaited financial relief of these Executives/Employees and their family members.
Though the fake caste complaint was received against all ST Category Executives/Employees of MH Circle, out of nearly 1200 such Executives/Employees, majority could establish authenticity and about 200 could not establish it due to non-availability of caste records of their forefathers before 1967. Meantime, VRS 2019 was announced and to encourage more participation in VRS, then CGM MH Circle personally assured employees in a special meeting that caste complaints would not hinder VRS acceptance or the release of retirement benefits.
Accordingly after getting Vigilance Clearance the VRS of all such executives and employees were accepted. But thereafter, certain officers in MH Circle management misused their powers in twisting this decision and illegally kept on hold the due benefits of the VRS 2019 in respect of Executives and Employees facing allegations of fake caste.
This issue was initially raised by SNEA MH and with keen persuasion, the provisional pension of all these Executives/ Employees was first granted for a temporary period of six months and then extended for further six months and then this provisional pension was regularised but other retirement benefits continued to be kept on hold.
In an extremely biased approach, MH Circle issued charge sheets to these Executives/Employees and their VC was kept on hold at a later stage and quoting non-clearance of current VC, the benefits were denied, even after certain positive directions by BSNL Corporate office.
Since then this issue was raised and continuously pursued by SNEA/SNPWA with CGMT MH, CCA MH, Director HR, CMD BSNL, Member Services, Secretary DoT, National Commission for ST, Parliamentary Committee, Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Honourable Minister of Communications and we have successfully established demand to release due retirement benefits on basis of DoPT/DoT guidelines and how the decision of MH Circle was wrong, how VC was clear on date of VRS and how MH Circle has issued chargesheet after three years of retirement and how on fabricated basis the retirement benefits are kept on hold.
For the last seven years, Maharashtra Circle was misleading BSNL Corporate Office on this issue and unfortunately BSNL management also joined hands with MH Circle to keep on hold the due retirement benefits.
Many affected individuals have challenged the chargesheet and termination in CAT Mumbai, Aurangabad and Nagpur, HC Mumbai and exposed biased stand of Management and majority of these cases were advocated by Adv R T Divate, Legal Advisor, SNPWA MH.
Even after the defeat of MH Circle in about all these court cases at CAT, High Court, these officers dragged this matter to the Supreme Court by filing an appeal against HC Judgement and recently the Supreme Court also rejected the appeal by BSNL and this has given way forward for resolution of the hurdles in releasing pensionary benefits.
In the overall process, Shri. G.L. Jogi, GS SNPWA CHQ, played a vital role by standing behind these affected Executives like a rock and used every possible platform to raise this issue asking for justice to the affected Executives and Employees. Shri. D.M. Gaikar, CS SNPWA MH, Shri. Samir Khare as then CS SNEA MH and Shri. Tejas Tadasre, CS SNEA MH also have taken up the issues at MH Circle, CCA MH and put forward this demand.
Shri. M. S. Adasul, GS SNEA has pursued this issue at all levels starting with during VRS 2019 with persuasion with MH Circle, CCA MH as then CS SNEA MH and thereafter at BSNL Corporate office and DoT till the issue is resolved in favour of affected Executives and Employees.
At the crucial stage, when the issue has reached at the level of Secretary DoT and Honourable Minister of Communications, SNEA could establish that in violation of DoPT and DoT guidelines, BSNL Management has forcefully kept on hold the retirement benefits and we could establish how these Executives/Employees are being harassed in fabricated manner by issuing charge sheets at later stage and thereby illegally withholding VCs and applying it retrospective effect from date of approval of VRS.
With intervention by Respected Shri. Jyotiraditya Scindia ji, Minister of Communications, the issue moved further with high level correspondence between MoC and CM Maharashtra and finally matter was decided by Secretary DoT with clear directions to BSNL to release all the retirement benefits of all affected Executives and Employees.
Thus, which prolonged and sustained efforts and continuous persuasion at all levels by SNEA and SNPWA, finally justice prevails for the affected Executives & Employees opted for VRS 2019 as now after wait of seven years the Gratuity amount is released by CCA MH Circle with a day of this order by BSNL CO and action for releasing Ex-Gracia amount has been initiated.
SNEA conveys sincere thanks to Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia ji, Minister of Communications, Shri. Devendra Fadnavis ji, Chief Minister Maharashtra State, Shri. Amit Agarwal, Secretary DoT, Shri. Manish Lodha, DDG Estt DoT and all other concerned officers for taking final call and giving justice to about 150 affected Executives and Employees.
SNEA conveys special thanks and gratitude to Shri. G.L. Jogi, GS SNPWA CHQ, Shri. D. M. Gaikar, CS SNPWA MH, Shri. Samir Khare, then CS SNEA MH and Shri. Tejas Tadasre, CS SNEA MH, Adv R.T. Divate, Advisor SNPWA MH and all others who have put sincere efforts for this final outcome in favour of all these affected Executives and Employees.
SNEA congratulates all these Executives/ Employees for such great victory after prolonged fight for justice and convey thanks and gratitude for their immense patience and unwavering faith on SNEA and SNPWA leadership throughout this seven year battle
This outcome stands as a powerful testament to a timeless truth: Justice may be delayed by biased actions, but it cannot be denied and only required is tireless persuasion with documentary support and sincere efforts.
