JAGDISH CHANDRA vs STATE TRADING CORPORATION OF INDIA LTD

Judgment text excerpt

$~ * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI % Date of Decision: 03rd February, 2025 + W.P.(C) 1608/2016 JAGDISH CHANDRA .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Abhishek Agarwal and Ms.Vinita Sasidharan, Advocates. versus STATE TRADING CORPORATION OF INDIA LTD.....Respondent Through: Mr. S.B. Upadhyay, Senior Advocate with Mr. Tarkeshwar Nath, Mr. Abhishek Kumar and Mr. Harshit Singh, Advocates. CORAM: HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE JYOTI SINGH JUDGEMENT JYOTI SINGH, J. 1. This writ petition is preferred on behalf of the Petitioner laying a siege to order dated 10.11.2015 passed by the Respondent/State Trading Corporation of India Ltd. (‘STC’) rejecting the claim of the Petitioner for medical reimbursement to the tune of Rs.23,79,313/- on account of medical expenses incurred by him in Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, on the treatment of his wife who was hospitalized on 09.01.2012 in a serious condition for 21 days and expired on 31.01.2012. 2. Case of the Petitioner as set out in the writ petition is that Petitioner was employed with STC from 1966 and after serving for 31 years, retired in the year 1997. Respondent introduced a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (‘VRS’) on 09.04.1997, which provided that regular employees who had Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed By:KAMAL KUMAR W.P.(C) 1608/2016 Page 1 of 26 Signing Date:06.02.2025 21:07:08 completed minimum 10 years of service in STC or 40 years of age, shall be eligible to seek voluntary retirement by making an application in writing through proper channel to the Competent Authority. VRS came into force w.e.f. 10.04.1997. 3. Clause 5 of VRS enumerated the benefits available under the Scheme which included Provident Fund and Gratuity as admissible, ex-gratia payment to the extent stipulated, travel expenses etc. As for medical benefits,