A post featuring a graphic of an official Gazzate notification dated 15 December 2025 is being shared (here, here, here) with the claim that “the Supreme Court, in a significant decision in Civil Writ Petition No. 2490 and Case No. 8222/2024, has directed that the recovery period for pension commutation for central government employees will now be 10 years and 8 months (128 months) instead of 15 years.“ Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Supreme Court of India, in Civil Writ Petition No. 2490 and Case No. 8222/2024, reduced the pension commutation recovery period from 15 years to 10 years and 8 months due to falling interest rates.
Fact: The Gazette notification graphic accompanying the fake post is unrelated to pension commutation, it is related to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). There is no Supreme Court judgment directing that the pension commutation recovery or restoration period for Central Government employees be reduced to 10 years and 8 months (128 months). The cited cases CWP 2490/2024 and 8222/2024 relate to petitions filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, not the Supreme Court. As of now, the Central Civil Services (Commutation of Pension) Rules, 1981 continue to apply, which provide for restoration of full pension only after 15 years from the date of commutation. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On closer examination of the Gazette notification graphic shared with the viral post, we found that the graphic was issued by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). It pertains to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under the National Pension System) (Amendment) Regulations, 2025. The original document can be seen here.
On the other hand, on performing a relevant keyword search regarding the viral claim, we found that the case numbers cited in the claim, i.e., CWP 2490/2024 (here, here) and 8222/2024, refer to petitions filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, not the Supreme Court. These cases involved requests for temporary (interim) stays (here, here) and were primarily filed by state government pensioners in Punjab and Haryana. They did not lead to any nationwide change in pension rules or reduce the commutation recovery period. From this, it can be noted that the Gazette notification graphic accompanying the fake post is unrelated to pension commutation.
On further research, we found that, later, the Punjab & Haryana High Court in (CWP 9426/2023) Shila Devi & Others vs State of Punjab dismissed 807 petitions challenging the Punjab state pension rules. In several related matters, the courts either dismissed the petitions or upheld the existing 15-year commutation recovery rule.
The current rule under the Central Civil Services (Commutation of Pension) Rules, 1981, stipulates the restoration of full pension after 15 years. Official government portals (here, here) confirm restoration after 15 years. As per CCS Rules, 1981 “The commuted amount of pension shall be restored on completion of fifteen years from the date the reduction of pension on account of commutation becomes operative in accordance with rule 6: Provided that when the commutation amount was paid on more than one occasion on account of upward revision of pension, the respective commuted amount of pension shall be restored on completion of fifteen years from the respective date(s).”
Recent high court rulings, including the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Chandigarh, dismissed 106 cases challenging the pension commutation recovery rules, and the Telangana High Court in July 2025, reaffirmed the 15 years, citing Supreme Court precedents (here, here). No amendments have changed the 15-year restoration period. Recent amendments were minor and not related to the commutation period (here, here).
To sum up, the Supreme Court of India did not reduce the pension commutation recovery period.
