This writ petition has been directed against the impugned award dated 31.10.2006 passed in I.D.No.208 of 1998 by the First Additional Labour Court, Chennai, in and by which the Labour Court has held that the petitioner was not entitled to any relief from the second respondent, as the resignation letter dated 7.11.97 sent by the petitioner was accepted by the General Manager of the second respondent on the same day.

2. Assailing the correctness of the award, Mr.R.Rajaram, learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that after the petitioner entered the service in the second respondent-Management in the year 1994 as Stores Assistant, his services were confirmed on 4.4.97 by the second respondent. As there was no complaint whatsoever against the petitioner, all of a sudden, the Store Officer called him on 30.9.97. When the petitioner, accordingly, met the Store Officer Mr.K.B.Lawrence, he informed the petitioner that he had received information to the effect that the petitioner along with Mr.Arulmoli and Mr.Anandan had received a sum of Rs.5,000/- each as illegal gratification from one of the company's client Jeethmull Jaichand Lal. Although the petitioner gave a statement in