The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Chandigarh Bench has stayed an order of PGI for recovery of the already paid Ad-hoc bonus from the employees. The direction to stay the order of recovery has been passed by the Tribunal on an application filed by PGI Employee Union (Non-Faculty) through Advocate Karan Singla.
In an application, the Union prayed for quashing an orders of PGI to stop the benefit of Ad-hoc Bonus/Non-Productivity Linked Bonus and initiate recovery of the amounts already paid to the applicants and similarly situated employees.
They said that that the order is illegal, arbitrary, discriminatory and is in violation of Articles 14 of the Constitution of India.
The Union has also prayed before the Tribunal to declare that the applicants and other similarly situated Group- and Group-C non-gazetted employees of PGIMER are entitled to the benefit of Ad-hoc Bonus/Non-Productivity Linked Bonus in accordance with the long-standing policy and practice followed by the respondent institute and the provisions of Regulation 40 of the PGIMER Regulations.
That Regulation 40 of the PGIMER regulations specifically provides that in respect of matters not expressly provided in the regulations, the rules applicable to Central Government servants regarding pay, allowances and other service conditions shall apply to employees of the institute.
In pursuance of the statutory framework, the respondent institute has been granting the benefit of Ad-hoc Bonus/Non-Productivity Linked Bonus to its eligible Group-B and Group-C employees since the financial year 1982-83 on the same pattern as applicable to similarly situated Central Government employees.
The grant of bonus does not impose any additional burden upon the Central Government for the financial years 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, the respondent institute granted Ad-hoc Bonus to eligible employees after due approval from the internal competent authorities.
After hearing of the arguments, the Bench said that Vide order dated June 2, 2026, the respondent No. 1 has decided to initiate the recovery of bonus (ad-hoc bonus) in 12 equal instalments for the period financial year 2015-16 onwards till the year 2022-23. From the perusal of deliberation of agenda item No. 4 during the meeting of GB held on July 17, 2019, and office order dated October 18, 2025, the prima facie case is made out, therefore in the interest of justice, the respondents are restrained from proceeding further in pursuance to the order dated June 2, 2026, with regard to the recovery, till the next date of hearing fixed for July 20, 2026.
