MOSCOW, November 27 - RAPSI. Russian courts uphold 93 percent of all lawsuits related to a citizen's right to retirement pensions, Supreme Court judge Galina Gulyayeva said at a plenum held on Tuesday.
According to Gulyayeva, the courts consider over 90,000 suits annually related to an individual's right to compensation or a reappraisal of retirement pensions.
Gulyayeva said that judges have many questions when hearing pension related suits due to the complexities of pension law. This is why it is necessary to analyze the court practice and provide clarifications to judges.
The draft ruling of the plenum reads that if the amount of a pension related lawsuit is 50,000 rubles ($1,611) or less, it falls within the jurisdiction of the magistrate court. Cases involving higher amounts fall within the jurisdiction of the district courts.
The courts need to keep in mind that pensioners are exempt from paying state fees when filing lawsuits on disputes related to retirement pensions, but pension applicants, unlike pensioners, must pay state fees.
Also the bill proposes that the courts should accrue pension arrears with due account of the consumer price index when considering a lawsuit.
The Supreme Court's draft was submitted to the Labor Ministry, the Pension Fund, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Justice Ministry as well as a number of other agencies.
Following the Tuesday meeting it was decided to submit the document for improvements.