DWIPENDRA NATH MUKHERJEI vs BOARD OF TRUSTEES . — C.A. No. 7153/2008

Case Summary: C.A. No. 7153/2008 - Dwipendra Nath Mukherji v. Board of Trustees Outcome: The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal on November 28, 2013. The Court upheld the High Court's rejection of the appellant's request for a mandamus to allow him to opt for the Pension Scheme after the deadline had passed. Key Facts: Mukherji was reinstated to Kolkata Port Trust in 1996 after a compulsory retirement was quashed. A Pension Scheme option was announced in 1997 with a deadline of December 31, 1997. Mukherji claimed he only learned of this opportunity in May 2003 from a colleague and made a representation in June 2003. The respondent rejected his request citing the long delay (6+ years) and the deadline's expiry. Reasoning: The Court found his claim of ignorance unconvincing, particularly because he failed to disclose the colleague's name. The Court noted that while employers must reasonably communicate such benefits, employees cannot claim entitlement after inexplicably long delays when knowledge is clearly inferable. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.