Officers seek enhancement of retirement age via court, Navy puts onus on MoD

The existing policies in Navy and IAF allow captains who have attained the rank on a time-scale (TS) promotion to work for 54 years.

The Navy, which is on the backfoot after a number of its captain-rank officers went to court after being denied a two-year enhancement in retirement age and returned with reinstatement orders, has now said that it has written to the Defence Ministry for a decision in the matter.

In an internal communique issued on April 9, a copy of which is with this paper, the Navy Headquarters has said that the matter rests with the MoD. “The case regarding enhancement of retirement age of Naval officers of the rank Capt (TS) to 56 years has been forwarded to MoD for taking a suitable decision in the matter and the same is still awaited.”

The existing policies in Navy and IAF allow captains who have attained the rank on a time-scale (TS) promotion to work for 54 years. However, for selection grade captains, the retirement age is 56 years. When Group Captain Atul Shukla approached the court citing the discrimination, the Supreme Court in November thrashed the forces calling the promotion policy “more illusory than real”.

Soon, more officers started approaching the IAF and Navy headquarters seeking an enhancement in their tenure. While the IAF has so far reinstated 70-odd Group Captains, the Navy headquarters has been denying the extensions. The result: Eight officers have so far gone to courts and returned to Naval Headquarters with reinstatement orders. In the latest case, the AFT ordered Navy to reinstate two officers on Monday. Notably, in one of the cases, a captain had already retired by the time the judgment was received.

An officer observed that a rise in instances of officers going to court in the matter was damaging for the morale of the force as it shows that the officers “look at the court as their saviours instead of their own organisation”.

“They are our own people. Why should they be denied to serve till 56 when the highest court in the country has ordered that they can,” asked the officer.

Source:: Indian Express