R.S. CHAUHAN, J.

1. The petitioner, Mr. Chandrakantha, is aggrieved by the award dated 22.06.2017, passed by the Labour Court, Mysuru, whereby the learned Labour Court has dismissed the industrial dispute raised by the petitioner, and has upheld the dismissal order passed by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation ('KSRTC for short).

2. Briefly the facts of the case are that on 12.11.2004, the petitioner was appointed on the post of driver-cum-conductor by the KSRTC. However, he remained unauthorizedly absent from 15.10.2014 till 26.11.2015, i.e., for over a period of one year. Therefore, the petitioner was served with a charge-sheet; a departmental enquiry was conducted. After the conclusion of the departmental enquiry, by order dated 26.11.2015, the petitioner was dismissed from his service. Since the petitioner was aggrieved by the said dismissal order, he raised an industrial dispute under Section 10(4-A) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 ('the Act' for short). However, during the pendency of the dispute before the learned Labour Court, the petitioner did not appear before the learned Labour Court. He neither examined a witness, nor submitted any document in o