ORDER :

1. Petitioners herein, who retired from the services of the Respondent Corporation on reaching the age of superannuation, have come up with the above Writ Petitions seeking a direction to the Respondents to pay interest for the belated payment of terminal benefits such as Gratuity, Leave Salary, P.F. and Commutation amount.

2. As the issue involved in the above Writ Petitions is one and the same, cases are taken up for disposal by a common order.

3. Mr.K.Moorthy, learned counsel takes notice on behalf of the respondents. By consent of both parties, these writ petitions are taken up for final disposal at the admission stage itself.

4. It is an accepted position of law that, Gratuity and pension are not bounties. The concern expressed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court that, retirement dues must be paid in time, is reflected in the case of Dr.Uma Agarwal vs. State of U.P., reported in (1999) 3 SCC 438, relevant portion of which, reads as under:

“5. We have referred in sufficient detail to the Rules and instructions which prescribe the time-schedule for the various steps to be taken in regard to the payment of pension and other retiral benefits. This we have done to remind the various go