The government has been directed by the Central Administrative Tribunal to “forthwith” release the pension and other post-retirement benefits of a former I-T assistant commissioner, withheld on the alleged ground of a corruption case pending against him.
The New Delhi-based principal bench of CAT ordered release of V B Bansal”s pension pointing out to the Centre that the CBI, which had lodged an FIR against him for owning assets exceeding his legal income, had subsequently moved the court seeking permission to cancel it.
Dismissing the Centre”s contention that the corruption case against the IT official was still pending as the court has not taken any action on the CBI plea to cancel the FIR, the CAT”s bench headed by its chairman Justice V K Bali said that lack of any specific court order cancelling the FIR implies that no case is pending against Bansal.
“The applicant (Bansal) shall accordingly be entitled to full pension and post-retiral benefits. The full pension of the applicant shall be restored forthwith and arrears on that count shall be made over to him as expeditiously as possible and definitely within a period of six weeks,” the bench said.
Bansal, who retired in 2008, had said in his plea that the CBI had lodged an FIR against him on February 2, 2005 under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
