Digital Goa, Feb 3 – Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has held that the recovery of ₹6.99 lakh from the gratuity of a retired government primary school teacher, arising from an erroneous application of service rules by the Education Department, was arbitrary and illegal. The Commission raised human rights concerns, stating that pension and gratuity are constitutional entitlements and not bounties. In its inquiry report dated February 3, 2026, the GHRC noted that the excess payment occurred due to the department’s wrongful grant of senior scale benefits and that the department itself admitted that no fault could be attributed to the complainant in fixing her pay. The Commission rejected the Education Department’s claim that the issue fell purely under service law, observing that arbitrary deductions from retirement benefits violate the right to dignity and livelihood. The complaint was filed by a Valpoi resident retired primary teacher in this regards. GHRC reiterated that recovery of excess payments due to departmental errors, particularly from retired employees, is impermissible in law, and has directed the Directorate of Education to submit an action-taken report by April 6, 2026.
