The custodians of the records are responsible for maintaining the records properly and for paying the post-retiral dues of a Government servant promptly after his retirement from service.

R. M. Prasad, J.

1. As prayed,learned Counsel for the State is permitted to make necessary correction in the cause title in regard to the counter-affidavit which is said to have been filed on behalf of respondent No.3, though it has been on behalf of respondent No.2.

2. It is one of those unfortunate cases in which the payment of the provident fund dues of the petitioner has been kept withheld for now about eight years.

3. The petitioner superannuated from service on 31-1-88 and when the g. P. F. dues was not paid, he filed the present writ petition on 22-2-1996 with a prayer to issue an appropriate writ/order/direction commanding the respondents to release the payment of g. P. F. amount together with penal interest at the rate of 18% from the date of his superannuation.

4. Separate counter-affidavits have been filed on behalf of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, C. I. D. (Economic Offences), Deputy Accountant General (Provident Fund) and director, Provident Fund7 Bihar, Patna (respondents No.2, 3 and 4 respectively ).

5. In the counter-affidavit filed on behalf of respondent No.2, a plea has been taken that the (sic) of G. P. F. dues could not be made to the petitioner as he submitted his G. P. F. paper on 5-9-1995 and in course of verification of paper and amount deposited in G. P. F. account, it was found that the above statement regarding the deposited money in the account of the petitioner and certificate of loans/advance payment from Darbhanga and Bhagalpur districts was not cleared/available. It is stated that regarding this, correspondence was made with the concerned Superintendents of Police, Bhagalpur and darbhanga, who sent the statements and thereafter the G. P. F. from with required statement was sent to the Assistant Director, G. P. F. , Bihar, Patna. Thus, it ts contended that the writ-petition is fit to be dismissed and the petitioner is not entitled to get 18% interest on g. P. F.

6. No details have been mentioned in the counter-affidavit as to when correspondences were made and as to when the statements were sent by the concerned Superintendent of Police.

7. However, in the counter affidavit filed on behalf of the Director, provident Fund (respondent No.4) it is stated that the application filed by the petitioner for payment of G. P. F. dues was forwarded to his office by respondent No.2,vide letter No.550 dated 23-3-1996 but the balance transfer of A. G. is not available in this office. According to the said respondent, A. G. Bihar has informed in his letter dated 21-3-19% that the balance transfer of the petitioner was sent to the District Provident Fund Officer, Darbhanga up to 1978-79, which according to the Director, is not complete in itself. It is further stated that the A. G. , Bihar has informed in the said letter that the record for the period 1968-69 to 1974-75 and 1979-80 to 1981-82 were not available and he was advised to obtain credit and debit statements for necessary correction in the about of G. P. F. of the petitioner. So, d. S. P. (Acctt.) C. I. D. , Bihar was requested, vide Office letter No.4957 dated 14-4-1995, to furnish credit and debit statement of the petitioner from 1975-76 to the date of retirement. According to the said respondent, D. S. P. (Acctt.), C. I. D. , Bihar, Patna only submitted credit and debit statement from the year 1971-72 to September, 1982 which is incomplete. So, D. S. P. (Acctt.), c. I. D. , Bihar, Patna was again requested, vide Office-letter No.6216 dated 15-5-19% to send credit and debit statement for the period October, 1982 to date of retirement of the petitioner. But no reply has been received as yet, so a reminder was sent again, vide office letter No.707 dated 25-5- 19%. It was, however, accepted that the D. S. P. (Acctt.) sent the relevant papers, vide letter No.784 dated 10-5-1996, whereafter an authority slip of Rs.15,596/- was issued in favour of D. S. P. (Acctt.) C. I. D. vide letter No.7686 dated 11-6-19% calculating up to date admissi