PHC orders full insurance payment to teachers

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday nullified the government’s directive to pay only 25 percent of the death grant (group insurance) amount to over 150 retired teachers of the Education Department and ordered payment of the full amount in accordance with the law.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Sabi and Justice Sabitullah, heard the petition. Over 150 teachers and headmasters from the Education Department in grades 17, 18 and 19 had filed the petition through Advocate Zia-ur-Rehman Tajik.

The petitioners contended that deductions were made from their salaries at the time of recruitment under the title of “group insurance.” Later, this scheme was renamed as “death grant,” which was to be paid either upon the death of the employee or upon reaching the age of retirement.

However, the KP government amended the rules and decided that only those employees from whom deductions were made after 2016 would be entitled to benefits accordingly — a decision the petitioners challenged as unjust.

They argued that the previous laws still provided protection and that deductions had been made from their salaries since the time of their recruitment. Therefore, it was unfair to pay them only 25 percent of the amount they were legally entitled to.

The petitioners also cited multiple rulings by the PHC and the Supreme Court, asserting that

the petitioners must be paid 100 per cent of the death grant under the law.On the other hand, the government’s counsel argued that the petition was not maintainable, as the payments were made proportionate to the deductions from salaries.However, the petitioners’ lawyer maintained that the government’s stance violated several constitutional provisions and pointed out that the PHC had already ruled on similar cases.