argument points
TRANSCRIPT
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8/15/2019 Argument Points
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1. When the question of determining the entitlement of a person to back wages is
concerned, the employee has to show that he was not gainfully employed. The
initial burden is on him. After and if he places materials in that regard, the
employer can bring on record materials to rebut the claim. In the instant pleaded
nor placed any material in that regard. It is not in dispute that the respondent did
not raise any plea in his written statement that he was not gainfully employedduring the said period. (para !
". #oming back to back wages, e$en if the court %nds it necessary to award back
wages, the question will be whether back wages should be awarded fully or only
partially (and if so the percentage!. That depends upon the facts and
circumstances of each case. Any income recei$ed by the employee during the
rele$ant period on account of alternati$e employment or business is a rele$ant
factor to be taken note of while awarding back wages, in addition to the se$eral
factors mentioned in &udhan 'ingh and day )arain *andey. Therefore, it is
necessary for the employee to plead that he was not gainfully employed from the
date of his termination. While an employee cannot be asked to pro$e the
negati$e, he has to at least assert on oath that he was neither employed nor
engaged in any gainful business or $enture and that he did not ha$e any income.
Then the burden will shift to the employer. +ut there is, howe$er, no obligation on
the terminated employee to search for or secure alternati$e employment. +e that
as it may. (*ara !
. A*'&T# $. '. )arsagoud ("--! " '## "1"“9. We fnd merit in the submission so made. There is a dierence between an
order o reinstatement accompanied by a simple direction or continuity o
service and a direction where reinstatement is accompanied by a specifc
direction that the employee shall be entitled to all the consequential benefts,
which necessarily ow rom reinstatement or accompanied by a specifc
direction that the employee shall be entitled to the beneft o the increments
earnin durin the period o absence. !n our opinion, the employee ater havin
been held uilty o unauthori"ed absence rom duty cannot claim the beneft o
increments notionally earned durin the period o unauthori"ed absence in the
absence o a specifc direction in that reard and merely because he has been
directed to be reinstated with the beneft o continuity in service.#
/. 'imilarly in A*'&T# $. Abdul 0areem, AI& "-- '# 231, the '# held asfollows
“$evertin to the acts o the case at hand, as already noticed,
the %abour &ourt specifcally directed that the reinstatement would be without bac' waes. There is no specifc direction that the employee would be entitled to all the consequential benefts.Thereore, in the absence o specifc direction in that reard,merely because an employee has been directed to be reinstated without bac' waes, he could claim a beneft o incrementsnotionally earned durin the period when he was not on duty or durin the period when he was out o service. !t would beinconruous to suest that an employee, havin been held uilty and remained absent rom duty or a lon time, continues to earnincrements thouh there is no payment o waes or the period o
absence. “
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8/15/2019 Argument Points
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5. I feel both these cases bring out clearly that (a) there has to be a
specic order from the Industrial Tribunal on accrual of consequential
benets including increments ; (b) increment and other benets cannot
be claimed as a matter of right; and (c) if Bibhu was aggreied by non!
award of increment and other benets with full bac" wages# he should
hae led appeal. $oweer# Bibhu chose to le e%ecution petition whichalso establishes that the award has attained nality and it is not open
for him to indirectly challenge the award in e%ecution proceedings.