Allahabad High Court: Single Judge Cannot Override Division Bench on Old Pension Scheme

The Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) stayed a single judge’s decision granting Old Pension Scheme (OPS) benefits to employees regularised after the New Pension Scheme (NPS) cut-off date of April 1, 2005.

The Division Bench held that a single judge cannot override binding precedents set by coordinate (division) benches.

The State argued that the earlier ruling ignored established law and relied on judgments that had already been set aside.

Observing prima facie legal errors and serious implications, the Court stayed the order, emphasising adherence to judicial discipline and consistency in pension jurisprudence.