Has the Bengal Transport Body Failed to Pay PF Dues to Retirees?

Synopsis
The <b>Calcutta State Transport Corporation</b> faces a contempt ruling for failing to pay retirees' provident fund dues despite a court order last year. What implications does this have for the corporation and its officials? Dive into the details of this unfolding legal matter.
Key Takeaways
- CSTC faces contempt charges for non-payment of dues.
- The court mandated payment last year that remains unfulfilled.
- Officials must appear in court on July 4.
- The situation raises concerns about public accountability.
- Retirees are still awaiting their provident fund payments.
Kolkata, May 23 (NationPress) The state-operated Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) has come under scrutiny from a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court for allegedly failing to settle the provident fund obligations owed to certain retired employees of the corporation, despite a definitive order from the court last year.
In an order issued on Thursday, which was made public on Friday, the single-judge bench led by Justice Arindam Mukherjee has initiated a rule of contempt against several officials from the state government and CSTC, including the chairman of the CSTC Employees Provident Fund Trust and prominent Trinamool Congress legislator Madan Mitra.
According to the rule, all relevant parties must appear in person at the court during the next hearing scheduled for July 4 to clarify why the provident fund obligations to the affected employees have not been fulfilled. They must also justify why the court should not take action against them.
Recall that in July last year, the Calcutta High Court mandated the immediate disbursement of provident fund dues to the employees who sought the court's intervention due to significant delays in receiving their dues after retirement.
Despite the court's explicit order, the concerned employees have yet to receive their provident fund dues, leading them to file a contempt-of-court petition against the corporation at the Calcutta High Court.
The single-judge bench expressed frustration regarding the failure to clear the provident fund dues of the affected employees, given the court's clear directives.
The contempt-of-court petition was lodged in December last year, with the first court hearing occurring in February of this year. Since then, there have been several follow-up hearings, culminating in the court's issuance of a contempt rule against the involved parties on Thursday.