1. Heard Mr. R. Murugesan for Mr. M.V. Venkataseshan, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner and Mrs.A.V. Bharathi, learned counsel appearing for the respondents 1 to 3.

2. This is a writ petition, which a retired Professor – Head of the Department of University of Pondicherry, has filed for a direction to direct the respondents to grant Central Pension to the petitioner as applicable to the similarly placed employees of the respondents' university.

3. According to the petitioner he is a Post Graduate in M.A. History. He has also completed M.Lit. and Ph.D from University of Delhi and as such he is qualified person eligible for appointment in the Department of History in all the Universities. On 24.11.1983 petitioner was appointed as a "Deputy Director" in the National Institute of Rural Development, hereinafter referred to as NIRD, at Hyderabad. He resigned from the said post on 05.01.1988. He got himself appointed as "Reader" in the respondent University on 07.01.1988, as seen from the proceedings of the 2nd respondent dated 10.03.1988. While he was working in NIRD he had opted for "Central Provident Fund Scheme", hereinafter referred to as the CPF Scheme, for the