Judgment

AHMADI, J.:- In exercise of powers conferred by Cl.(j) of sub-sec. (2) of S. 58 or the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (Act II of 1934) (hereinafter called the Act), the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India with the prior approval of the Central Government framed Regulations known as the Reserve Bank of India Pension Regulations, 1990 (hereinafter called the Regulations). By the said Regulations brought into force with effect from 1st November, 1990 a pension scheme was introduced in substitution of the existing Contributory Provident Fund Scheme (hereinafter alluded to as the CPF Scheme ). The newly introduced pension scheme was made applicable to all employees entering Bank service on or after 1st November, 1990; for them the CPF Scheme did not exist. The in-service employees i.e. those employees who were actually in service at the date of introduction of the scheme were given an option to opt out of the pension scheme and continue to be governed by the CPF Scheme. The third category is of those who retired from Banks service between 1st January, 1986 and 1st November, 1990. Regulation 3(3) which deals with the applicability of the scheme to the said category of retired employees reads as under:

"3(3) Employees who were in service as on 1st January 1986 (excluding those on leave preparatory to retirement) and had retired before 1st November, 1990, provided they exercise option to be governed by these Regulations and refund, within such period as may be specified, the Banks contribution to provident fund including interest received by them from the Bank together with simple interest at six per cent per annum from the date of withdrawal till the date of repayment. Pension shall be payable to them in accordance with Regulation 31."

Regulation 31 reads as under:

"31. Employees who have retired from the Banks service on or after 1st January, 1986 and before 1st November, 1990 shall be eligible for pension from 1st November, 1990 or after expiry of leave preparatory to retirement subject to Regulation 22. The payment of pension shall be subject to their refunding Banks contribution to provident fund including interest received by them from the Bank, together with simple interest at the rate of six per cent per annum from the date of withdrawal till the date of repayment. Such employees will be permitted to commute their pension also with effect from 1st November, 1990, after due medical examination."

It, therefore, appears on a conjoint reading of Regulation 3(3) and Regulation 31 that Bank employees who retired from service between 1st January, 1986 and 1st November, 1990 could opt for the benefit of the pension scheme with effect from 1st November, 1990 provided they refunded the Banks contribution to the provident fund together with interest received thereon and together with further interest calculated at 6 per cent per annum from the date of withdrawal till the date of repayment. Bank employees who retired from service before 1st January, 1986 were not eligible to opt for the newly introduced pension scheme.

2. Petitioner No.1 is an Association of retired Bank employees and petitioners Nos. 2 to 7 are its members who retired from the Banks service on or before 31st December, 1985. They are not entitled to opt for the pension-plan under the aforesaid Regulations. They contend that the cut-off date fixed under Regulations 3(3) and 31 extracted earlier is wholly artificial and has no relation to the object sought to be achieved by the introduction of the pension-plan in substitution of the extant CPF scheme. They contend that Article 14 of the Constitution forbids class legislation and the Bank Authorities have by drawing an artificial classification between those who retired on or before 31st December, 1985 and those who retired 24 hours later i.e. on or after 1st Janary, 1986 have violated the letter and spirit of the said article of the Constitution. Although Article 14 permits reasonable classification, that classi