‘Closure’ of GPF accounts: SC to hear plea of 7 Patna HC judges on April 17

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has said it will hear on April 17 the plea of seven Patna High Court judges, whose General Provident Fund accounts were allegedly closed. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which was scheduled to hear the plea on March 27, could not take it up due to paucity of time.

“List the petition on April 17,” said the bench which also comprised justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala. On March 20, the top court had ordered release of the salaries of the judges on the basis of the position as it stood prior to the controversy over their GPF entitlement.

The bench had taken note of the situation and said that as an “interim measure”, it was ordering release of the salaries of the high court judges according to the position existing before December 13, 2022 when the Union Ministry of Law and Justice took up the issue of their entitlement of GPF. “The salaries have to be released now. We direct that salaries of the judges, which have been withheld, shall be released to them on the basis of the position as it stood prior to the letter of December 13, 2022 of the Union Ministry of Law and Justice,” bench had said.

The top court had then clarified that it was passing the order as an “interim measure” and said, “This shall be without prejudice to the rights and the contentions of the parties.”