Jharkhand High Court Orders State to Pay Pension Dues with Interest After Lok Adalat Award Delay

News Citation : 2026 LN (HC) 264 | 2026:JHHC:10538-DB

April 13, 2026 : The High Court of Jharkhand has directed the state government to implement a long-pending Lok Adalat award granting pension benefits to a group of retired daily-wage workers, pulling up authorities for unjustified delay and technical objections.

In its judgment dated April 13, 2026, a Division Bench led by Chief Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar ruled in favour of 14 appellants who had been seeking pensionary benefits by counting their service from the date of initial appointment rather than from regularisation.

The dispute traces back to a writ petition filed in 2023, which was later settled before a National Lok Adalat on July 13, 2024. The settlement directed the state to extend pension benefits by including earlier service periods. Despite this, authorities failed to implement the award for over a year.

The petitioners approached the court again after their representations went unanswered. A contempt petition was also filed but dismissed on technical grounds, with the court holding that non-compliance of a Lok Adalat award does not fall under contempt jurisdiction. A subsequent writ petition was also rejected by a single judge citing the principle of res judicata.

Challenging this, the appellants argued that their fresh plea was not barred, as it sought enforcement of a settlement rather than re-litigation of the same issue. They also emphasized that Lok Adalat awards are final and binding under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

The Division Bench agreed, noting that the state had neither challenged the award nor provided valid reasons for its non-implementation. Referring to the Supreme Court’s ruling in State of Punjab vs Jalour Singh, the court reiterated that Lok Adalat awards carry the force of a civil court decree and must be executed accordingly.

Importantly, the court rejected the argument that the petitioners should have pursued execution proceedings in a civil court. It observed that forcing elderly and economically weak individuals into prolonged litigation would defeat the purpose of speedy justice under the Lok Adalat system.

The bench strongly criticised the “indifferent and whimsical” conduct of state authorities, noting that the petitioners had been deprived of their rightful dues for nearly 21 months.

To remedy the situation, the court directed the state to implement the Lok Adalat award within four weeks. It also ordered payment of interest at 6% per annum on the outstanding pension amounts, calculated from the date of the award until final disbursement.

The court concluded that such delays undermine public confidence in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and emphasized that state authorities must act fairly, especially when dealing with vulnerable individuals.

Case Reference : L.P.A. No. 60 of 2026, Jhubli Devi and Others vs State of Jharkhand and Others; Counsels: for the Appellants, Mrs. Rakhi Rani and Mr. Akhilesh Prasad, Advocates; for the Respondents, Mr. Aman Kumar and Mr. Rituraj, A.C. to S.C.-VI.