1. By means of the present writ petitions, the Petitioners call in
question the legality and propriety of the orders passed by the
Central Administrative Tribunal, Cuttack Bench in the respective
Original Applications filed by them, whereby their claims seeking
conversion from the CPF Scheme to the GPF-cum-Pension Scheme
have been declined. Since the questions of fact and law arising in all
the writ petitions are substantially similar and the impugned orders
proceed on identical reasoning, the matters were heard together
and are being disposed of by this common judgment.
2. The Petitioners in the present batch of writ petitions were
employees under the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and had been
governed by the CPF Scheme during the course of their service.
After their retirement, or at a belated stage during service, the
Petitioners sought conversion from the CPF Scheme to the GPF-
cum-Pension Scheme, claiming entitlement to be brought under the
pensionary regime applicable to similarly situated employees. Since
the said claim was not acceded to by the authorities, the Petitioners
W.P.(C) Nos. 28979, 28901,
approached the Central Administrative Tribunal, Cuttack Bench by
filing separate Original Applications seeking direction for such
conversion and for grant of consequential pensionary benefits. In
certain cases, upon dismissal of the Original Applications, the
concerned Petitioners also pursued Review Applications seeking
reconsideration of the Tribunal’s decision. The Tribunal, upon
consideration of the respective pleadings and materials placed on
record, declined to grant the relief sought for by the Petitioners and
dismissed the Original Applications. In the cases where Review
Applications were filed, the Tribunal also declined to interfere with
its earlier orders holding that no error apparent on the face of the
record had been made out warranting review. It is these orders
passed by the Tribunal which have been assailed in the present writ
petitions.