Malkiat Singh Khela vs Union Of India & Anr

The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's dismissal of W.P. No. 307 of 1998, affirming that the appellant's punishment of forfeiture of seniority under Section 68 of the Navy Act, 1957, does not equate to forfeiture of service for pension eligibility. The Court clarified that the appellant, having been penalized, did not complete the requisite 20 years of qualifying service for pension benefits as per Section 81(1)(f) and (l) of the Act. Consequently, the order to recover excess pension payments was deemed valid.