The Kerala Bank employees’ provident fund (EPF) members’ action forum is organising a dharna in front of the office of the Regional EPF Commissioner, Kozhikode, on Thursday, in protest against the Commissioner’s alleged refusal to release their pensions despite a Supreme Court order in their favour. District Congress Committee president K. Praveenkumar will open the dharna.Action forum convener C.K. Abdurahiman told reporters here on Tuesday that as many as 333 employees of the Kerala Bank from various districts were affected by the Commissioner’s refusal to release pensions. The Supreme Court had passed an order on August 24, 2022 for allotment of pensions to retired employees. While the Regional PF Commissioners in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam have released pensions following the SC order, the Commissioner in Kozhikode denied pensions to 128 employees in Malappuram district. The employees have approached the High Court since then to get the SC order implemented and secured a favourable verdict on June 24, 2024, in which the Commissioner was asked to clear pensions of retired employees from Malappuram district within two months. However, the officer has refused to heed both the orders, Mr. Abdurahiman alleged.Members of the forum had visited the Commissioner several times with the demand, and he reportedly told them that he was not liable to do what the other Commissioners did.“We have paid our PF dividend throughout our career expecting a comfortable life post retirement. Now, we are forced to run from pillar to post for our rightful pensions,” Mr. Abdurahiman said.Forum chairman M. Rajan said denying pensions to retired employees who had no other source of income was cruelty. Working chairman of the forum P.K. Moosakutty was present. Published – September 17, 2024 08:11 pm IST