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1992 Supreme(Guj) 89

Gujarat High Court
Judgename :A.P.RAVANI, J.M.Panchal
DAHYALAL MOHANLAL DIWAN - Appellant
Versus
SHRI PARAJITSINGH BHATIA - Respondent
S.C.A.329 of .
Decided On : 03/27/1992

Advocates Appeared: B.R.GUPTA, D.M.DIVAN, K.G.VAKHARIA

Headnote:Constitution of India, 1950 - Art. 227 - Power under - Exercise of - Industrial Court misreading judgment & order passed by Labour Court - Amounts to failure to exercise of jurisdiction by Industrial Court resulting in miscarriage of justice - Court can certainly exercise its power under Art. 227.

       It is not a case of mere wrong decision. In this case misreading of the judgment and order passed by the Labour court amounts to failure to exercise of jurisdiction by the Industrial Court, which has resulted into miscarriage of justice. Therefore, this court can certainly exercise its power under Article 227 of the Constitution.

       [Para 7]

       Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 - Sec. 11A - Jurisdiction under - Measure of punishment - Even when Labour Court finds enquiry just & fair it could interfere to examine the question as regards punishment imposed by employer - In the instant case Labour Court having found punishment of forced idleness for a period of 3 to 4 years enough ordered reinstatement with back wage - No reason for Industrial Court to interfere - Order of Industrial Court set aside.

       The Labour Court when called upon to decide a dispute regarding the propriety of the order passed by an employer, it is open to the Labour court to decide whether the said order is proper, fit, appropriate, suitable and in conformity with rightness, correctness, justness and accuracy. The Labour Court can also examine the question as regards the punishment imposed by the employer under the impugned order and find out whether it just and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case. These powers are under section 11A of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. Moreover, in the instant case, the Labour Court has found that the finding arrived at in the domestic enquiry was perverse. Therefore, it cannot be said that the Labour Court was not justified in interfering with the order of punishment imposed upon the workman.

       [Para 13]

       The Labour Court has found that the punishment of dismissal is disproportionate, heavy or excessive and also observed that the forced idleness for a period of about 3 to 4 years and remaining unemployed without wages for this period was enough punishment to teach a lesson to the workman. There was no reason whatsoever for the Industrial Court to substitute this finding. As indicated hereinabove, the Industrial Court has misread the judgment and order passed by the Labour Court and thereby exceeded in exercise of its jurisdiction which has resulted into miscarriage of justice.

       [Para 14]

A. P. RAVANI, J.

( 1 ) THE petitioner-workman appears as party in person and has filed this petition challenging the legality and validity of the order passed by the Industrial Court in Appeal (IC) No. 102/91 dated 27/03/1992 by which the Industrial Court set aside the order passed by the Labour Court as regards the payment of backwages and the payment of cost of Rs. 500. 00. The period for which the backwages denied are between November 15 198 8/02/1993 and even according to the respondent-Mill Company the total amount payable to the workman would come to Rs. 91 816. 91 ps. (Ninety-one thousand eight hundred sixteen and paise ninety-one only ). (This figure has been submitted by the learned Counsel for the respondent-Mill Company at the time of hearing of the petition. According to the workman the amount would be more and it would be exceeding Rs. one lac. In short the figure is not admitted by the petitioner workman.)

( 2 ) THE petitioner-workman joined the services of the respondent-Mill Company as doffer in the year 1972. He was promoted as reliever in the year 1975 and since then he was working in Ring frame department as permanent workman in second shift of the Mill Company. He was a member of the Joint Management Council and was union representative of the Textile Labour Association. In this capacity he used to represent the cases of workmen before the management. According to the workman on account of such activities the management had developed prejudice against him and often tried to victimize him. That he had filed complaint in relation to the alleged false birth date of Head Time-keeper Shri Jethabhai Mehta and his continuation in service and the complaint was sent by the criminal Court for police investigation. That from 3/11/1988 to Novem 6/11/1988 he was suspended and thereafter a show of inquiry was made against him and on 15/11/1988 his services have been terminated. Therefore he filed T. Application No. 10/89 under Section 78 of the Bombay Industrial Relations Act 1946 before the Labour Court praying that he be reinstated in service with full backwages.

( 3 ) THE allegation against the workman was that on the date of payment of bonus amount as he inquired about the lesser amount mentioned in the slip of bonus amount payable to him he was told by Shri Jethabhai the Head Time-keeper that he should come on the next day. Thereupon he got excited and abused said Jethabhai and threatened him saying that as and when he comes out he will see him. It is also alleged that at this time he had spoken abusive language. On the aforesaid allegation inquiry was held between 7/11/1988 and Nov 12/11/1988 and ultimately the order of discharge from service dated 15/11/1988 was passed. As indicated hereinabove the workman filed T. Application challenging the legality and validity of the order of dismissal before the Labour Court under Section 78 of the BIR Act. The Labour Court held that there was no procedural irregularity in holding the departmental inquiry but the finding arrived at in the departmental inquiry was perverse. The Labour Court also found that the order of dismissal from service passed against the workman was not just and reasonable and by its judgment and order dated 28/10/1991 directed that the workman be reinstated in service on his original post with full backwages and be also paid Rs. 500. 00 (Rupees five hundred only) as and by way of cost of the application.

( 4 ) THE Mill Company preferred appeal under Section 84 of the Act being appeal No. (IC) 102/91 before the Industrial Court challenging the legality and validity of the order passed by the Labour Court. The Industrial Court as per its judgment and order dated 27/03/1992 confirmed the finding arrived at by the Labour Court but interfered with the order of payment of backwages and directed that the workman be not paid the backwages and be also not paid the amount of Rs. 500 awarded to him as and by way of cost of the application.

( 5 ) IN this petition it























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