Chandigarh, March 14 -- In a major relief to the state pensioners, the high court has directed the Punjab government to clear all pending instalments of revised pension since 2016, Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears and related dues to them by April 30, along with 6% interest. The high court bench of justice HS Brar, while allowing 2024 petitions from pensioners of boards and corporations, set the deadline not only in the case of petitioners but extended to all pensioners of different departments of the state and directed the chief secretary to ensure compliance of high court orders. "Keeping a cabinet decision in a state of suspended animation for an inordinately long period is not merely a procedural irregularity; it is fundamentally opposed to public interest and violative of the statutory scheme embodied in the Rules of Business. If decisions taken by the highest executive body are allowed to languish without implementation, the entire exercise of collective deliberation stands reduced to an empty formality," the bench observed lamenting that even as state cabinet approved schedule and manner of disbursal of arrears in February 2025, the state has failed to disburse the same even after passage of one year. The petitioners had submitted that during the last decade, prices of essential commodities have increased manifold and approximately 35,000 pensioners have died while awaiting implementation of the revised benefits. The court noted that the government constituted the Sixth Pay Commission on December 24, 2016, to examine the revision of salaries and pensions. The panel submitted its report on May 30, 2021, following which the state notified the 2021 Rules on July 5, 2021, providing for payment of arrears from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021. It further said that more than four years have passed since the notification and even as cabinet approved a schedule in February 2025, yet the benefits have not been released in accordance with the schedule. The court noted that DA functions as a compensatory mechanism to preserve the real income of employees and pensioners and to enable them to meet essential living expenses such as food, housing, healthcare, and education. "By linking wage adjustments to the price index, the system of DA seeks to ensure that employees and pensioners are not subjected to financial hardship arising from market-driven price escalation and that their standard of living remains reasonably protected," it said adding that any delay in its release effectively defeats its very purpose as it is intended to compensate employees and pensioners at the time when prices rise and not retrospectively after long intervals. The court said the directions won't benefit just the petitioners but also all similarly situated pensioners of the state government, boards, corporations and other statutory bodies. It said all pensioners will be paid the revised dues strictly in accordance with the schedule approved by the state cabinet and in case of default pensioners shall be entitled to interest at the rate of 9% per annum on the delayed amount till its actual realization....