State of Rajasthan v. C.P. Singh
Background
An employee absorbed into Rajasthan service after Ajmer's integration chose to retain his former leave and pension regulations under a protective option. Rajasthan retired him at 55, although those chosen regulations had meanwhile increased retirement age to 58. The High Court held that he should have received the later retirement age and consequential benefits.
Decision Breakdown
The Supreme Court dismissed Rajasthan's appeal and upheld the High Court's ruling. The option for the former pension regulations was not confined to isolated benefits or to the regulations as frozen on the integration date. It included retirement age and amendments made while the employee remained in service. Therefore the 1962 increase to 58 applied to him, and the State could not instead use its own lower retirement age.
Lesson Learnt
The scope of a protected service-rule option depends on its wording. Where an employee elects an entire pension framework without a freeze-date restriction, the employer cannot selectively deny a later benefit under that same framework.