- (1.) Leave granted.
(2.) In all these appeals, the judgment of the Division Bench of the Delhi High Court passed on 16-3-2000 in L.P.A. Nos. 294/97, 297/97 and 13/99, is challenged by DTC Retired Employees Association and others. Writ Petition No. 499 of 2000 is filed by a separate group of retired employees of the Delhi Transport Corporation.
(3.) The Delhi Transport Corporation (for short, "DTC") introduced a Pension Scheme on 27-11-1992 for its retired employees. The Central Govt. sanctioned this scheme and it was to be operated by the Life Insurance Corporation of India on behalf of DTC. As per the scheme, all employees of DTC retiring on or after 3-8-1981 were to be covered for the purpose of pension benefit. The existing employees and those who retired on or after 3-8-1981 had to exercise their option for the Pension Scheme. The retired employees opting for the Pension Scheme had to refund the employer's share of provident fund received by them under the Employees Provident Fund Act with interest thereon. Those employees, who joined the service of DTC with effect from 27-11-1992 and thereafter, had no option but to be compulsorily covered under the Pension Scheme.;