'No constitutional infirmity': SC upholds Centre’s ‘One Rank One Pension’ Scheme

New Delhi, Mar 16: The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the manner in which the Central Government introduced the "One Rank One Pension" ("OROP") scheme in the defence forces, as per the notification issued on November 7 2015.

The bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath refused to accept the challenge made by the association "Indian Ex-Service Movement"

"We find no constitutional infirmity in the OROP principle adopted", the bench said in the judgment pronounced today.

The bench has however directed that the re-fixation exercise as per the policy should be carried out with effect from July 1, 2019 and the arrears sho

On July 11, 2016, the top court had issued notice on the plea filed by IEMS through advocate Balaji Srinivasan seeking implementation of OROP as recommended by the Koshyari Committee with an automatic annual revision, instead of the current policy of periodic review once in five years.

The IESM has challenged the Centre's policy of periodic review of pension once in five years, saying such an approach was the dilution of the February 26, 2014 announcement of government by which the revision in pension was to automatically pass on to the past pensioners on an annual basis.

IESM has referred to the December 19, 2011, report of Rajya Sabha's Petition Committee then headed by Bhagat Singh Koshyari which rejected all reservations advanced by the government while "strongly recommending" OROP.