STATE OF H.P vs RAJESH CHANDER SOOD ETC ETC

The Supreme Court examined the applicability of the Himachal Pradesh Corporate Sector Employees Pension Scheme, 1999, in relation to the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. The Court held that employees must expressly opt for the 1999 Scheme within the stipulated time to be governed by it; otherwise, they would be deemed to have opted for the 1995 Scheme. The judgment clarified that only regular employees of specified corporate bodies could avail benefits under the 1999 Scheme, thereby reinforcing the requirement of written consent for scheme selection.