​The Chhattisgarh High Court has recently reaffirmed that pension and gratuity are not mere bounties but are hard-earned benefits constituting a property right under Article 300-A of the Indian Constitution. Justice Bibhu Datta Guru emphasized that these entitlements result from an employee’s long, continuous, faithful, and unblemished service, and cannot be taken away without due process of law .​

In a specific case, the court quashed an order that sought to recover ₹9.23 lakh from the pension of a deceased government employee, stating that such deductions without statutory provision violate constitutional mandates .

This judgment aligns with previous rulings by other courts, including the Supreme Court, which have consistently held that pension is a vested right and a form of deferred compensation, not a gratuity or charity .​

Sources