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1996 Supreme(All) 676

HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
Jagdish Bhalla
U P STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION LUCKNOW
Versus
STATE OF U P
Decided On : 24 May 1996
Writ Petition No. 1107 of 1980 (SS)

Advocates Appeared:
S.R.Verma, Vina Sinha,

A government servant is not a workman within the meaning of Section 2(s) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

Headnote:

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES ACT, 1947 - SECTION 2(S) - WORKMAN - DEFINITION - CONDUCT OF CLAIMANT - CONCEALMENT OF FACTS - AWARD OF LABOUR COURT QUASHED - CLAIM PETITION DISMISSED.

Fact of the Case:

The claimant, a government servant, was dismissed from service. He filed a claim petition before the Tribunal, which was dismissed on the ground of availability of alternative remedy. The claimant then raised an industrial dispute, which was referred to the Labour Court. In the meantime, the claimant moved an application for review/recall of the order passed by the Tribunal, which was allowed. The Tribunal restored the claim petition to its original number and listed it for final hearing on merits. However, the claimant did not inform the Labour Court about the order passed by the Tribunal. The Labour Court continued with the adjudication proceedings and passed an award in favor of the claimant. The claimant also filed a writ petition before the High Court challenging the order of dismissal. The High Court dismissed the writ petition.

Finding of the Court:

The High Court held that the claimant had concealed the true facts from the Labour Court. The claimant's conduct was deprecated. The award of the Labour Court was quashed. The claim petition was dismissed by the Tribunal.

Issues: Whether the claimant was a workman within the meaning of Section 2(s) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

Ratio Decidendi: The High Court held that the claimant was not a workman within the meaning of Section 2(s) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The claimant was a government servant. The award of the Labour Court was without jurisdiction and was quashed.

Final Decision: The writ petition challenging the order of dismissal was dismissed. The award of the Labour Court was quashed. The claim petition was dismissed by the Tribunal.

JAGDISH BHALLA, J.

These two w petitions are connected writ petitions are the reason that it arises out of order dismissal dated 31st December, 1973 the petitioner of this W. P. N. 228/1989. A grieved by said order of dismissal Jagat Mohan Lal Dubey, who has been array as opposite party No. 3 in writ petition No. 1107 of 1980 and is petitioner is writ petition No. 228 of 1989 (hereinafter referred to as the claimant) filed claim petition before the U. P. Public Services Tribunal (hereinafter referred to as the Tribunal ). The claim petition preferred by the claimant was dismissed on the ground of availability of alternative remedy by order dated 16th November, 1977 passed by the Tribunal. In the circumstances, the claimant raised industrial dispute with regard to his dismissal order dated 31st December, 1973 and the State of Uttar Pradesh vide Notification dated 5-5-1979 referred the following dispute for ad judication to the Labour Court, U. P. , Lucknow:

"jta SKWAYOJAKON DWARA APNE SHRAMIK JAOAT MOHAN LAL DUBEY (SIC) DIN ANK31-12-72se KARYASE (SIC) /wanchjt KIYA JATA (SIC)

In the meantime the claimant moved application for review/recall of the order passed by the Tribunal dated 16-11-1977 inter alia, on the ground that the claimant was appointed in U. P. Roadways and was a Government Servant and, therefore, he cannot be treated as workman and in this connection the claimant relied upon a case of Ram Krishna Yadav v. The U. P. State Road Transport Corporation and others, 1981 LLT (Services) 101. The learned Tribunal after hearing the parties recalled its earlier order dismissing the claim peti tion on the ground of availability of alter native remedy and listed the matter for final hearing on merits. However, after hearing the parties the claim petition was dismissed by Judgment and order dated 9-12-1985 passed by the Tribunal. Ag grieved by said judgment and order, the claimant filed Writ Petition No. 228 of 1989 before this Court. It may be men tioned here that the claimant did not in form the Labour Court that his applica tion for review has been allowed by the learned Tribunal on the ground that the claimant is not a workman and the same has been restored to its original number. Therefore, the Labour Court continued with the adjudication proceedings in view of the reference made to it by the State Government and accordingly passed an award dated 13th August, 1979.

2. Writ Petition No. 1107 of 1980 was heard by this Court and was dismissed by judgment and order dated 13-2-1987. Ag grieved by said order, the U. P. State Road Transport Corporation moved restoration application on the ground that the Cor poration was not aware of the order passed by this Court. The review petition was heard and order dated 13-2-1987 dismiss ing the writ petition was recalled with a direction that the writ petition be heard on merits.

3. In the facts and circumstances nar rated above, I am of the view that it was the duty of the claimant to inform the Labour Court that his review application moved before the Tribunal was allowed and his claim petition was restored to its original number to be heard on merits and accord ingly he should have prayed that the ad judication proceedings pending before the Labour Court be dropped having become infructuous, but the claimant for reasons best known to him pursued both the remedies together. In my opinion, this should not have been done by the claimant. Therefore, the conduct of the claimant stinks and it is clear that the claimant had concealed the true facts from the Labour Court. The conduct of the claimant is depricated, In the circumstan ces, since the claimant himself had come forward with a review application on the ground that he is not a workman, he should not have proceeded with the mat ter pending before the Labour Court and only on this ground the award of the Labour Court is liable to be quashed. In the circumstances, the award dated 13-8-1979 passed by the Labour Court is hereby quashed.

4.






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