Chandigarh 17 Sep 2025 : The Punjab and Haryana High Court has delivered its verdict on the long-standing dispute between the Chandigarh administration and teachers. The matter was regarding the retirement age of teachers—whether it should be 58 years or 65 years. The court clarified that teachers are entitled to serve until the age of 65.
The court stated that teachers will benefit from staying in service until 65, as was previously decided in the Joginder Pal Singh case. The dispute began when the Central Administrative Tribunal, on March 21, 2023, ordered that teachers have the right to continue in service until 65 years of age. The Chandigarh administration challenged this order in the High Court. The administration argued that the Supreme Court decision in Jagdish Prasad Sharma vs. State of Bihar (2013) was not properly applied and that the 58-year limit should be considered valid. Teachers argued that they should receive the same benefits as their colleagues who were already entitled to serve until 65 years. Allowing some teachers to work until 65 while retiring others at 58 would be discriminatory and against the spirit of the law.
The High Court ruled that after the notification dated March 29, 2022, the retirement age for teachers in Chandigarh was set at 65 years starting April 1, 2022. Therefore, teachers who had retired earlier and later returned to service following the tribunal’s order are also entitled to work until 65. However, the court rejected the teachers’ demand for arrears of salary and allowances for the period between 58 and 65 years, stating that teachers were already receiving pension and retirement benefits during that time, and therefore double benefits cannot be provided. The court noted that teachers will receive salary increments and pay revisions so that their salary fixation is corrected.
Summary: Authorities have released important information regarding teachers’ retirement, specifying revised age limits and procedures, helping educators plan their careers and pension benefits accordingly.