The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed Tamil Nadu government departments to decide pending pension and public grievance petitions within specified timelines, warning that officials who deliberately delay action could face disciplinary proceedings.
The direction came while the court was hearing several petitions filed by retired government employees, teachers and legal heirs of government employees seeking payment of retirement benefits, including gratuity, pension and provident fund amounts. The petitioners said they had submitted representations from 2024 onwards but had not received action from the concerned authorities.
Justice P. Pugalendhi said it was regrettable that people had to approach the court even for action on reasonable representations submitted to government departments. The judge also noted that repeated petitions of this nature consume the court’s time, referring to earlier judgments on delays in administrative decision-making.
The court observed that the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General had been issuing orders on petitions concerning pension benefits within one to two months, and questioned why other government departments could not follow a similar process.
Under various government orders cited by the court, departments are required to issue an acknowledgement within three days of receiving a petition and pass a reasoned order within 30 days to two months, depending on the matter. If additional documents are needed, officials must obtain them from the applicant rather than leave the petition pending, the court said.
The ruling stated that failing to consider representations within the prescribed period could violate rights guaranteed by the Constitution and may amount to dereliction of duty and misconduct. The observation places administrative delay within the framework of official accountability rather than treating it solely as an internal processing issue.
The court included the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu and the Secretary of the Human Resources Management Department as respondents on its own motion. It directed them to issue a circular to all departments requiring time-bound consideration and disposal of petitions submitted by pensioners and members of the public.
The court further directed the government to ensure that strict disciplinary action is taken against officials responsible for delays. In the cases before it, the concerned departments were ordered to examine the petitions on their merits and issue appropriate orders within three months.
The order closes the present proceedings while placing responsibility on the state administration to establish compliance with the timelines already contained in government orders. For pensioners and other applicants, the direction links acknowledgement, document collection and a reasoned decision to a defined administrative process rather than an open-ended wait.