22.07.2026 19 sdas WPA 12985 of 2026 Radhanath Majhi Vs. The State of West Bengal & Ors. Mr. Lalratan Mandal Mr. Dilip Kumar Sadhu .….. for the petitioner Mrs. Aparna Banerjee, learned AGP Mr. S. Majumdar Ms. Simran Sureka ……for the State 1. Let affidavit-of-service, as filed in Court, be kept on record. 2. The petitioner was an employee in the Agricultural Department, Government of West Bengal and was serving as an Agricultural Extension Officer in the District of Purulia. He had retired from service on November 30, 2013. 3. The petitioner received his terminal benefits including the arrears of pension and gratuity on March 25, 2026. 4. This delay is not attributable to any default or laches or negligence on the part of the petitioner, as has been decided by this Hon’ble Court in several matters that pension and retiral benefits are a matter of right of an employee and any delay in release of such benefits in favour of the employee should entail 2 some amount of interest from the concerned authorities. 5. In view of the aforestated, the concerned respondents are directed to pay interest on the aforestated amount to the petitioner at the rate of 6% per annum, being the rate of interest of the fixed deposit of a nationalized bank,. 6. Let such interest be calculated and disbursed in favour of the petitioner by August 31, 2026. 7. With the aforestated directions, the writ petition is disposed of. 8. There will be no order as to costs. 9. Urgent photostat certified copy of the order, if applied for, be given to the parties upon usual undertakings. (Reetobroto Kumar Mitra, J.)