The Delhi High Court has sought the Central Bureau of Investigation’s response to a plea by Delhi Financial Corporation pensioners seeking registration of an FIR over alleged irregularities in the corporation’s Pension Trust, including the transfer of ₹40 crore to settle DFC’s loan liability to the Delhi government.
Justice Mini Pushkarna, in an order dated October 1, directed the CBI to file its reply within four weeks. The agency had opposed the plea, arguing that the grounds for a CBI investigation had not been established and that the petitioners had neither approached the jurisdictional police station nor filed a police complaint.
The petition centres on the DFC Employees’ Pension Trust, constituted through a trust deed on September 30, 2011, with a dedicated corpus intended to fund pensionary benefits. The petitioners stated that regular pension payments to approximately 180 pensioners stopped abruptly in December 2025, without prior notice or a formal resolution of the DFC board.
According to the plea, an internal communication issued on April 6, 2026, with the approval of the DFC chairman-cum-managing director in his capacity as chairperson of the Pension Trust, directed that ₹40 crore be transferred from the Trust to settle an institutional loan liability owed by DFC to the Delhi government. The Trust subsequently instructed Union Bank of India, through a cheque dated April 7, to transfer the amount to the government’s account.
Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Ankur Malik argued that the sequence of events disclosed cognisable offences under Section 316 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to criminal breach of trust, as well as provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The plea said the dedicated purpose of the corpus and the alleged handling of the funds provided a prima facie basis for investigating whether entrusted property had been used or disposed of contrary to the Trust’s governing obligations.
The petitioners have asked investigators to determine whether the transfer was authorised under the Trust’s governing provisions, whether the pension liabilities were secured and how the money was ultimately used. They have also sought preservation of original documentary and electronic records, citing DFC’s ongoing winding-up process and the involvement of multiple institutions, including the corporation, the Pension Trust, the Delhi government, banks and anti-corruption authorities.
The plea separately referred to the death of pensioner Prem Jeet on May 27, 2026, following an alleged medical emergency. One petitioner claimed that the stoppage of pension payments and medical facilities left the family unable to finance continued treatment. These claims form part of the petition and have not been established by a finding of the court.
The High Court has not ordered a CBI investigation at this stage. It has sought the agency’s response before considering the pensioners’ request. The matter is listed for further hearing on December 15.
