Railway authorities must decide a retired employee’s notional-increment claim through a reasoned order.

The applicant, a retired Chief Ticket Inspector who retired on 30 June 2016, sought one notional annual increment said to be due from 1 July 2016, with consequential revision of pay and retirement benefits.

After making earlier representations, he submitted a representation dated 11 February 2026 to the Divisional Railway Manager, which remained undecided.

The respondents did not oppose consideration of it, while reserving all points on the merits.

Whether the competent railway authority should be directed to decide the applicant’s pending representation seeking a notional increment from 1 July 2016.

Whether the Tribunal should itself determine the applicant’s entitlement to the increment and consequential benefits.

The application was brought under Section 19 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985.

The matter was taken up by a Single Bench pursuant to an order under Section 5(6) of that Act.

The Tribunal stated no substantive rule or precedent governing entitlement to a notional increment; instead, it directed the competent authority to consider the representation in accordance with law, leaving the merits open.

Because the representation dated 11 February 2026 had not been decided and the respondents did not oppose its consideration, the Tribunal ordered the competent authority to make and communicate a reasoned, speaking decision.

It did not assess whether the applicant was legally entitled to the increment or the consequential benefits, expressly reserving all merits for the authority’s consideration under applicable law.

The application was disposed of without any determination on entitlement and with no order as to costs.