HC upholds govt. order on pension scheme for primary cooperative societies insidelooknews

The Kerala High Court. File.
| Photo Credit: H. Vibhu

A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has upheld a government order exempting employees of primary co-operative societies from the provisions of the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous and Provisions Act (EPF and MP Act) and bring them under the pension scheme of the Kerala State Cooperative Employees’ Pension Board.

The Bench comprising Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice Muralee Krishna S. passed the verdict recently while dismissing an appeal by some of the employees of Palode Cooperative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank Ltd against a single judge’s judgment dismissing their plea for allowing them to continue under the EPF scheme.

The senior government pleader submitted that once the government had granted exemption under Section 17(1-C) of the EPF&MP Act, the employees cannot claim that they should be permitted to remain in the EPF scheme.