New Delhi, April 24 -- The Bombay High Court on 18 April ruled that the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) cannot deny eligible employees a higher pension due to procedural lapses or delays by the employer. The court observed that employees cannot be penalised for shortcomings attributable to their employers or the authorities.

The court noted that the petitioners had exercised their option, contributed on actual wages, and submitted supporting documents, yet their claims were rejected solely due to non-submission of Form 6A and certain challans.

A bench led by Justice Amit Borkar examined cases where applications for pension on higher wages under the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995, were rejected due to procedural lapses and...