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Patna High Court Overturns State Order, Grants MCA Benefits to Retired Employees Without Exam Requirement
✍️ Amar Ujala · Bihar
🗓 02 Sep 2026, 10:36 PM
👁 2
The Patna High Court set aside the Bihar government’s order that denied third‑phase MCA benefits to retired staff, ruling that clearing a departmental exam is not a condition for the financial entitlement.
Patna High Court on Wednesday nullified a directive issued by the Bihar government that refused third‑phase MCA (Madhya Aayojan Chikitsa Prashikshan) benefits to retired government employees. The bench held that the government’s stipulation requiring candidates to clear a departmental examination before receiving the financial advantage was legally untenable.
The contested order had been introduced after the state announced that only those who successfully passed a departmental test would be eligible for the MCA scheme’s monetary assistance. Retired staff members, many of whom had completed their service years, challenged the rule, arguing that it discriminated against them and contravened existing pension‑related statutes.
In its judgment, the court emphasized that the MCA benefit is a statutory entitlement linked to retirement, not a competitive award contingent on an exam. Consequently, the requirement to clear a departmental test was deemed an arbitrary condition that could not be imposed on pensioners.
The ruling restores eligibility for all retired employees to claim the third‑phase MCA benefits, potentially affecting thousands of former staff across Bihar. The state government has been directed to implement the decision without delay and to ensure that the benefits are disbursed promptly.
The contested order had been introduced after the state announced that only those who successfully passed a departmental test would be eligible for the MCA scheme’s monetary assistance. Retired staff members, many of whom had completed their service years, challenged the rule, arguing that it discriminated against them and contravened existing pension‑related statutes.
In its judgment, the court emphasized that the MCA benefit is a statutory entitlement linked to retirement, not a competitive award contingent on an exam. Consequently, the requirement to clear a departmental test was deemed an arbitrary condition that could not be imposed on pensioners.
The ruling restores eligibility for all retired employees to claim the third‑phase MCA benefits, potentially affecting thousands of former staff across Bihar. The state government has been directed to implement the decision without delay and to ensure that the benefits are disbursed promptly.