Overview
- A bench of Justices J. K. Maheshwari and A. S. Chandurkar disposed of the plea and allowed petitioner Naveen Prakash Nautiyal to file a representation within two weeks.
- The court directed the Centre to decide on the representation within four months, setting a time-bound process rather than ordering an immediate revision.
- The petition says the current ₹15,000 monthly wage limit, unchanged since 2014, excludes employees earning just above the cap from mandatory EPF coverage.
- The plea cites Articles 14 and 21 and argues the ceiling has been revised erratically without linkage to inflation, minimum wages, per-capita income, or CPI.
- Recommendations to raise the ceiling, approved by the EPFO Central Board in July 2022 after a sub-committee review, remain pending with the government.