Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed petitions challenging the government ordinance reducing the retirement age of statutory officers.

The court upheld the ordinance that sought to reduce retirement age of officers including registrar and examination controllers of certain universities to 56 years from 60.

Challenging the ordinance, Mahatma Gandhi University Finance Officer TA Abdul Majeed and others filed petition in the court.

Dismissing the petitions, the court observed that individual hardship cannot be a reason to interfere with the legislative exercise.

The court futher said that the state arrived at the policy on basis of expert opinion for providing uniformity of tenure of statutory officers in the universities.

Also, retirement age is a policy matter that falls within the exclusive premise of the state government.

The ordinance limited to four years the term of registrars, examination controllers and finance officers of universities; also, those who spent four years in the post or reached 56 years would have to vacate their posts.