JUDGMENT :

Pushpa Sathyanarayana, J.

(Prayer: Writ Appeal filed under Clause 15 of the Letters Patent against the order dated 15.07.2019 passed in W.P. No.5815 of 2013.)

1. This intra-court appeal is preferred by the Commissioner, Karaikudi Municipality challenging the order dated 15.07.2019 passed in W.P. No.771 of 2020. The said writ petition was filed for a writ of mandamus directing the respondents to award interest at the rate of 18% per annum for the belated payment of commuted value of pension to the petitioner at Rs.1,21,968/- from 1.8.99 to 31.12.2012 within a reasonable time.

2. The first respondent herein/writ petitioner retired from service as Revenue Inspector on superannuation and he was relieved from the services of the appellant-municipality on 31.07.1999, subject to audit objections pending against him in other municipalities. The appellant has forwarded the pension proposal on 29.11.1999 and the same was returned by the fourth respondent herein, namely the Director of Local Fund Audit, Chennai, on 10.2.2000, citing pending audit objections. Thereafter, the fourth respondent herein issued an order to regulate the pension and gratuity of the petitioner after a period of