45 Years of E.P. Royappa Determination of Equation of Pay Scales: Government, Experts; Not Courts [SAIL, (2011) 11 SCC 122; S.C. Chandra, (2007) 8 SCC 27]. Determinative Factors in Equation of Posts: a) Prescribed Minimum Qualification; b) Nature and Duty [E.P. Royappa, (1974) 4 SCC 3]; c) Responsibility and Power; Salary [P.K. Roy, AIR 1968 SC […]
Read more "Principle of Parity II / The Revival of Ray XI"“Equality means parity of treatment under parity of conditions. The rule of parity is the equal treatment of equals in equal circumstances.” – Chief Justice of India, Hon’ble Justice A.N. Ray, State of Kerala v. N.M. Thomas, AIR 1976 SC 490. “The imposition of a penalty in disciplinary proceeding lies in the sole domain of […]
Read more "Principle of Parity I"Several matters, every week, are considered for ‘legal aid’. I had briefly assisted Senior Advocate, Jaideep Gupta in this regard and had recommended aid for Ujwala Pandurang Toraskar v. Mormugao Port Trust [Diary No. 20112 of 2018]. Judgment of HC of Bombay at Goa [Writ Petition No. 279/2016], was challenged. On July 3, 2018 SC […]
Read more "Legal Aid"“The Appellants are daily rated workers employed in Group ‘D’ posts in the Forest Department in the State of Uttar Pradesh. They filed Writ Petitions before the High Court of Allahabad seeking regularization of their services, the minimum of the pay scales available to their counterparts working on regular posts and treating them as being […]
Read more "Minimum Pay Scales for Temporary Employees"“There is a chequered history in this case, which is getting curious with each round of litigation. In English parlance, the word ‘suitable’ is assigned the meaning as ‘appropriate, fitted for the purpose or acceptable’. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘suitable’ as ‘well fitted for the purpose; appropriate’. This ordinary meaning is to […]
Read more "Suitable"“In some cases, a Court may decline to award back wages in its entirety whereas in some cases, it may award partially. The questions, how a back wage is required to be decided, what are the factors to be taken into consideration, on whom the initial burden lies etc. were elaborately discussed in several cases […]
Read more "Back Wages I"“In legal parlance, ‘consortium’ is a compendious term which encompasses ‘spousal consortium’, ‘parental consortium’ and ‘filial consortium’. The right to consortium would include company, care, help, comfort, guidance, solace and affection of deceased. With respect to a spouse, it would include sexual relations with deceased spouse; parental consortium is granted upon premature death of a […]
Read more "Consortium I"Dio non fa mai retromarcia con il suo amore Offences involving ‘moral turpitude’ were in discussion recently in Union Bank of India v. C.G. Ajay Babu, [Civil Appeal No. 8251 of 2018]. You may read Section 4(6)(b) of The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. ‘Moral turpitude’ describes conducts which are: inherently vile, depraved; immodest; shameful and wicked [Pawan Kumar, (1996) 4 SCC 17 and Sushil […]
Read more "Moral Turpitude I"“The Mayo College, Ajmer is an educational institution founded in 1875 by Sir Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, who was also the Viceroy of India from 1868 to 1872. It is one of the oldest educational institutions which was set up as a public boarding school, offering admission to the then elite. This […]
Read more "The Mayo College, Ajmer"“Writ of Quo Warranto cannot be issued on basis of assumptions, inferences or suspicion regarding factum of fulfillment of eligibility criteria. Being an extraordinary power, ordinarily such a Writ ought to be issued only on basis of indisputable facts leading to a singular conclusion – incumbent was in fact or in law disqualified to occupy […]
Read more "The Writ of Quo Warranto I"‘Misconduct’ has been defined in Black’s Law Dictionary (6th Edn.) at pg. 999: “A transgression of some established and definite rule of action, a forbidden act, a dereliction from duty, unlawful behaviour, wilful in character, improper or wrong behaviour, its synonyms are misdemeanour, misdeed, misbehaviour, delinquency, impropriety, mismanagement, offence, but not negligence or carelessness.” P. […]
Read more "Misconduct"“Purposive interpretation in a social amelioration legislation is an imperative, irrespective of anything else. This is eloquently brought out in Atma Ram, (1988) 4 SCC 284. How labour legislations are to be interpreted has been stated and restated by this Court time and again. In Surendra Kumar, (1980) 4 SCC 443, this Court reminded, semantic […]
Read more "Etymological Excursions in Bread & Butter Statutes"“Recently, in Central Coalfields Ltd. v. SLL-SML (Joint Venture Consortium) it was held by this Court, relying on a host of decisions, the decision making process of the employer or owner of the project in accepting or rejecting the bid of a tenderer should not be interfered with. Interference is permissible only if the decision […]
Read more "Tender Law III"The party issuing a tender (employer) ‘has the right to punctiliously and rigidly’ enforce the terms of the tender. Here is a wholesome principle that the Courts have been following for a very long time and which was articulated in Nazir Ahmad v. King Emperor, (1979) 3 SCC 489: “Where a power is given to […]
Read more "Tender Law II"Clearly ignoring The ‘Far Outweigh’ Standard in Recovery from Employees, SC has ruled recently in High Court of Punjab & Haryana v. Jagdev Singh, [Civil Appeal No. 3500 of 2006], even though recovery from retired employees, or employees who are due to retire within one year of the order of recovery, is impermissible, the “principle […]
Read more "The ‘Far Outweigh’ Standard in Recovery from Employees II"Justices A.K. Goel and A.M. Khanwilkar have allowed State of West Bengal v. Aswini Kumar Mahato, [Civil Appeal No. 4689 of 2011] against a Calcutta High Court order in which it was held, once an employee retires on attaining age of superannuation, concerned authority has no jurisdiction to pass an order in a disciplinary proceeding […]
Read more "Pension Cuts under Proviso (a), Rule 10(1) of The West Bengal Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules, 1971"“Since the inception of mankind, many lacs have suffered from different types of physical handicaps (today about 600 million people suffer from such handicaps). But, many of them overcame all kinds of handicaps and achieved distinctions in various fields. Sarah Bernhardt – French actress was disabled by a knee injury. Her leg was amputated in […]
Read more "Able Disable All People Together I"Section 85(a)(i)(b) of The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 prescribes punishment for a particular offence as imprisonment which shall not be less than Six Months and fine of Five Thousand Rupees. The proviso empowers Court to impose a sentence of imprisonment for a lesser term “for any adequate and special reasons to be recorded.“ My […]
Read more "Section 85 of The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948"“Writ Court while deciding a Writ Petition is required to remain alive to the nature of the claim and the unexplained delay on the part of the Writ Petitioner. Stale claims are not to be adjudicated unless non-interference would cause grave injustice. In the case at hand, the employee was dismissed from service in the […]
Read more "Stale Claims Before Writ Court"Kunal Chatterji is so deep into the game of litigation, he must be considered an irresistible force. *Esha Bhattacharjee v. Managing Committee of Raghunathpur Nafar Academy, (2013) 12 SCC 649* was a resounding success. But, State of West Bengal v. Nemai Chandra Ghoshal & Anr., [Criminal Appeal No. 970 of 2012] is another feather in […]
Read more "State of West Bengal v. Nemai Chandra Ghoshal"
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