11Th March vs Of on 11 March, 2026

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    ADVERTISEMENT

    Himachal Pradesh High Court

    Decided On: 11Th March vs Of on 11 March, 2026

                                                2026:HHC:6970
    
    
    
    
             IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH SHIMLA
        .
    
    
    
                                                              CWPOA No.2181 of 2019
                                         Decided on: 11th March, 2026
    
    
    
    
                                                                                .
        ___________________________________________________________________
    
    
    
    
    
        Prakash Chand (deceased) through
        his LRs Arun Kumar and others                                          ...Petitioners
    
    
    
    
    
                                                  Versus
    
    
    
    
                                                     of
        State of Himachal Pradesh and others              ...Respondents
        _____________________________________________________________________
        Coram
        Hon'ble Mr. Justice Jiya Lal Bhardwaj, Judge
    

    rt
    Whether approved for reporting? 1 Yes
    For the petitioners: Mr. Surender Sharma, Advocate.

    For the respondents: Mr. Hemant Kumar Verma, Deputy
    Advocate General.

    SPONSORED

    Jiya Lal Bhardwaj, Judge (Oral)

    By way of the present petition, the original

    petitioner Prakash Chand, who expired on 25.11.2021 and

    substituted by his Legal heirs, (for short “petitioner) has prayed

    for the following substantive reliefs:-

    “(i) That the respondents may kindly be directed to
    grant the petitioner three ACP increments, on
    completion of his 4-9-2014 years of regular services
    as JBT Teacher and to pay the arrears and other
    allowances along with interest @12% per annum;

    1

    Whether reporters of Local Papers may be allowed to see the judgment?

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    2

    (ii) That the respondents may kindly be directed to
    pay the salary for a period of 68 days during which
    the services of the petitioner remained terminated by
    the regularizing the period of termination;”

    .

    2. Shorn of unnecessary details, the key facts of the

    case are that the petitioner vide office order dated 14.02.1992

    (Annexure P/A) was appointed as Volunteer Teacher (Primary) in

    of
    Government Primary School Simbal. In sequel to said office

    order, he joined duties on 03.03.1992 as claimed in letter dated
    rt
    10.08.2012 (Annexure P/E).

    3. Feeling aggrieved by the appointment of the

    petitioner as Volunteer Teacher, one Smt. Meeran Devi (wrongly

    mentioned as Meera Devi), who also participated in the

    selection process, had preferred Original Application before the

    Himachal Pradesh State Administrative Tribunal, which was

    registered as O.A. No.816 of 1993.

    4. It has been mentioned in the petition that another

    Original Application preferred by Smt. Meeran Devi (wrongly

    mentioned as Meera Devi) against appointment of one Sh.

    Pardhan Singh, was registered as O.A. No.431 of 1992. In this

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    Original application, Sh. Pardhan Singh was offered

    appointment in Government Primary School Chobhu (Baijnath

    .

    Block).

    5. The Original Application filed by Smt. Meeran Devi

    against the selection of the petitioner as Volunteer Teacher

    (Primary remained pending before the Tribunal, but in the

    of
    meantime, the services of the petitioner were regularized as

    Junior Basic Teacher w.e.f. 01.08.1998. After regularizing the
    rt
    services of the petitioner as JBT, the original application

    preferred by Smt. Meeran Devi was decided on 29.07.2004

    (Annexure R-I) by the Tribunal holding that selection of private

    respondent i.e. the petitioner was not the result of fair play,

    rather the procedure adopted by the respondents-State vitiates

    and the selection smacks of malafides. Consequently, the

    selection proceedings appointing the petitioner as Volunteer

    Teacher (Primary) vide Annexure A-5 appended with the original

    application were quashed and respondents-State were given

    liberty to hold the interview afresh for the post of Volunteer

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    Teacher in Government Primary School, Simbal, within a period

    of four months.

    .

    6. Despite categorical directions given by the Court to

    hold the interview afresh for the post of Volunteer Teacher in

    Government Primary School, Simbal within a period of four

    months, the authorities of the respondents-State did not take

    of
    any action, however, later on services of the petitioner were

    terminated on 21.02.2005. After termination, the petitioner had
    rt
    filed writ petition bearing CWP No.181 of 2005, titled, Parkash

    Chand vs. State of H.P. and others, before this Court, laying

    challenge to the order dated 29.07.2004, passed by the Tribunal

    and also the order of termination of his services dated

    21.02.2005 and this Court vide order dated 21.04.2005

    (Annexure P/C) stayed the order of termination of the

    petitioner.

    7. Subsequently, vide judgment dated 26.03.2007, in

    CWP No.181 of 2005, the Hon’ble Division Bench of this Court

    had set aside the judgment passed by the Tribunal in O.A.

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    No.816 of 1993 and remanded the matter to the Tribunal for

    decision afresh on merits after hearing the parties (Annexure R-

    .

    II). However, the said petition could not be decided by the

    Tribunal after remand, as the petition was transferred to this

    Court on abolition of the Tribunal and registered as CWP(T)

    No.2134 of 2008, titled, Meeran Devi vs. State of H.P. and

    of
    others
    .

    8. The petition instituted by Smt. Meeran Devi was
    rt
    dismissed on 09.05.2011 by the learned Single Judge of this

    Court. Smt. Meeran Devi feeling aggrieved by the judgment

    dated 09.05.2011 passed by learned Single Judge of this Court

    had preferred LPA No.455 of 2011, titled, Meeran Devi vs. State

    of H.P. and others, and the same was dismissed on 27.03.2014.

    9. The petitioner by way of the present petition had

    claimed that he was entitled to 3 ACP increments on completion

    of his 4, 9 and 14 years of regular services as JBT as well as that

    he may be paid the salary for a period of 68 days during which

    period he remained out of job on account of termination order

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    passed against him, since the termination order was quashed

    by this Court and the writ petition filed by Smt. Meeran Devi

    .

    against his selection as Volunteer Teacher was dismissed by

    this Court.

    10. The respondents-State filed reply to the writ petition

    and contested the same on the ground that the grant of ACP

    of
    increment to the petitioner could not be decided on account of

    the fact that the matter remained pending before this Court due
    rt
    to which termination period remained undecided and further

    the plea raised by the petitioner that he is entitled to salary for a

    period of 68 days during which his services remained

    terminated, is not sustainable, because the period for which the

    petitioner has not worked cannot be counted for the purpose of

    salary on the principle of “No Work No Pay”. The respondents

    have not disputed that services of the petitioner were

    regularized w.e.f. 01.08.1998 and also the order of termination

    was set aside by this Court.

    11. The petitioner filed rejoinder to the reply and

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    controverted the facts and reiterated the facts narrated in the

    petition. It has also been averred that once the petitioner was

    .

    reinstated by virtue of the orders passed by this Court, the

    period during which he remained out of job, is to be regularized

    for all intents and purposes.

    12. I have heard Mr. Surender Sharma, learned counsel

    of
    for the petitioners and Mr. Hemant Kumar Verma, learned

    Deputy Advocate General, for the respondents-State and also
    rt
    perused the record carefully.

    13. It is not in dispute that petitioner’s services were

    regularized on 01.08.1998 on the post of JBT and the order of

    termination was set aside by this Court. It is also not in dispute

    that the petition preferred by one Smt. Meeran Devi against the

    appointment of the petitioner though was initially allowed by

    the Tribunal on 29.07.2004, but subsequently, the same was

    dismissed by this Court on 09.05.2011 (Annexure P/D).

    14. The appeal preferred by Smt. Meeran Devi was also

    dismissed by this Court on 27.03.2014 (Annexure R-III).

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    15. No doubt, the petitioner had remained out of

    service on account of termination order passed against him by

    .

    the authorities after the decision on the original application on

    29.07.2004, but subsequently the said order was quashed by

    this Court vide judgment dated 26.03.2007 when the Court had

    returned specific findings that the Tribunal had wrongly noticed

    of
    the facts of some other case while quashing the appointment of

    the petitioner and thereafter also this Court had dismissed the
    rt
    petition and LPA preferred by Smt. Meeran Devi respectively on

    09.05.2011 and 27.03.2014.

    16. The respondents have not denied the entitlement of

    the petitioner for grant of ACP, but the plea which has been

    taken is only to the effect that the matter remained pending

    before this Court due to which termination period remained

    undecided and the petitioner could not be extended the benefit

    of ACP increments. Since the respondents have not disputed the

    fact that the petitioner is entitled to the benefit claimed in the

    writ petition, the same could have been extended to him after

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    dismissal of the LPA preferred by Smt. Meeran Devi on

    27.03.2014 and thus, the action on the part of the respondents-

    .

    State is illegal and wrong.

    17. Another plea, taken for the non-grant of the salary

    qua the period during which the petitioner remained out of job

    is that he did not work during that period and, therefore, on the

    of
    principle of “No Work No Pay”, he is not entitled to the salary.

    18. It is a settled law that if there is no fault on the part
    rt
    of an employee and further once the termination is held to be

    illegal, the natural corollary would be to grant him the salary of

    the period of his absence. The petitioner could not perform the

    duties only for the reason that he was not permitted to perform

    his duties.

    19. In the present case, it was not the petitioner who

    had approached this Court as evident from the facts stated

    above. His appointment was assailed by a candidate, who

    remained unsuccessful in the selection process and the Tribunal

    had though quashed the appointment of the petitioner, but this

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    Court had subsequently dismissed the writ petition preferred by

    the unsuccessful candidate and thus, the petitioner was entitled

    .

    to all the benefits, which were to be given to him, had said

    unsuccessful candidate not approached the Court.

    20. A three-Judge Bench of the Hon’ble Court had the

    occasion to deal similar proposition in M/s Hindustan Tin Works

    of
    Pvt. Ltd. vs. The Employees
    of M/s. Hindustan Tin Works Pvt.

    Ltd. And others, (1979) 2 SCC 80, wherein it was held that full
    rt
    back wages would be normal rule and the party objecting to it

    must establish the circumstances necessitating departure. The

    relevant para of the judgment is reproduced as hereunder:-

    “9. It is no more open to debate that in the field of
    industrial jurisprudence a declaration can be given

    that the termination of service is bad and the

    workman continues to be in service. The spectre of
    com-mon law doctrine that contract of personal
    service cannot be specifically enforced or the doctrine

    of mitigation of damages does not haunt in this
    branch of law. The relief of reinstatement with
    continuity of service can be granted where
    termination of service is found to be invalid. It would
    mean that the employer has taken away illegally the
    right to work and simultaneously deprived the
    workman of his earnings. If thus the of the workman
    contrary to the relevant law or in breach of contract

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    employer is found to be in the wrong as a result of
    which the workman is directed to be reinstated, the
    employer could not shirk his responsibility of paying
    the wages which the workman has been deprived of

    .

    by the illegal or invalid action of the employer.

    Speaking realistically, where termination of service is
    questioned as invalid or illegal and the workman has
    to go through the gamut of litigation, his capacity to

    sustain himself throughout the protracted litigation is
    itself such an awesome factor that he may not survive
    to see the day when relief is granted. More so in our

    of
    system where the law’s proverbial delay has become
    stupefying. If after such a protracted time and energy
    consuming litigation during which period the
    workman just sustains himself, ultimately he is to be
    rt
    told that though he will be reinstated, he will be
    denied the back wages which would be due to him,

    the workman would be subjected to a sort of penalty
    for no fault of his and it is wholly undeserved.
    Ordinarily, therefore, a work-man whose service has

    been illegally terminated would be entitled to full
    back wages except to the extent he was gainfully
    employed during the enforced idleness. That is the

    normal rule. Any other view would be a premium on
    the unwarranted litigative activity of the employer. If

    the employer terminates the service illegally and the
    termination is motivated as in this case, viz., to resist
    the workmen’s demand for revision of wages, the

    termination may well amount to unfair labour
    practice. In such circumstances reinstatement being
    the normal rule, it should be followed with full back
    wages. Articles 41 and 43 of the Constitution would
    assist us in reaching a just conclusion in this respect.
    By a suitable legislation, to wit, the U. P. Industrial
    Disputes Act, 1947
    , the State has endeavoured to
    secure work to the workmen. In breach of the

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    statutory obligation the services were terminated and
    the termination is found to be invalid; the workmen
    though willing to do the assigned work and earn their
    livelihood, were kept away therefrom. On top of it

    .

    they were forced to litigation up to the apex Court

    now they are being told that some-thing less than full
    back wages should be awarded to them. If the
    services were not terminated the workmen ordinarily

    would have continued to work and would have
    earned their wages. When it was held that the
    termination of services was neither proper nor

    of
    justified, it would not only show that the workmen
    were always willing to serve but if they rendered
    service they would legitimately be entitled to the
    wages for the same. If the workmen were always
    rt
    ready to work but they were kept away therefrom on
    account of an invalid act of the employer, there is no

    justification for not awarding due to them. sion
    Bench of the Gujarat High Court in Dhari Gram
    Panchayat v. Safai Kamdar Mandal
    , and a Division

    Bench of the Allahabad High Court in Postal Seals
    Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd. v. Labour
    Court II,
    Lucknow, have taken this view and we are of the

    opinion that the view taken therein is correct.

    10. The view taken by us gets support from the

    decision of this Court in Workmen v. Calcutta Dock
    Labour Board
    . In this case seven workmen had been
    detained under the Defence of India Rules and one of

    the disputes was that when they were released and
    reported for duty, they were not taken in service and
    the demand was for their reinstatement. The tribunal
    directed reinstatement of five out of seven workmen
    and this part of the award was challenged before this
    Court. This Court held that the workmen concerned
    did not have any opportunity of explaining why their
    services should not be terminated and, therefore,

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    reinstatement was heid to be the appropriate relief,
    and set aside the order of the Tribunal. It was
    observed that there was no justification for not
    awarding full back wages from the day they offered

    .

    to resume work till their reinstatement. Almost an

    identical view was taken in Management of Panitole
    Tea Estate v. Workmen
    .

    11. In the very nature of things there cannot be a

    strait-jacket formula for awarding relief of back
    wages. All relevant considerations will enter the
    verdict. More or less, it would be a motion addressed

    of
    to the discretion of the Tribunal. Full back wages
    would be the normal rule and the party objecting to it
    must establish the circumstances necessitating
    departure. At that stage the Tribunal will exercise its
    rt discretion keeping in view all the relevant
    circumstances. But the discretion must be exercised

    in a judicial and judicious manner. The reason for
    exercising discretion must be cogent and convincing
    and must appear on the face of the record. When it is

    said that something is to be done within the
    discretion of the authority, that something is to be
    done according to the rules of reason and justice,

    according to law and not humour. It is not to be
    arbitrary, vague and fanciful but legal and regular

    (see Susannah Sharp v. Wakefield).”

    21. The similar view had again been reiteratedby the

    Hon’ble Supreme Court in Surendra Kumar Verma and others

    versus Central Government Industrial Tribunal-cum-Labour

    Court, New Delhi and another, (1980) 4 SCC 443, holding that

    only in exceptional circumstances reinstatement can be avoided

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    with full back wages. The relevant paragraph of this judgment is

    reproduced as under:-

    .

    “6. We do not propose to refer to the cases arising

    under Sections 33 and 33-A of the Industrial Disputes
    Act or to cases arising out of references under
    Sections 10 and 10-A of the Industrial Disputes Act.

    Nor do we propose to termination of the services of a
    workman in violation of the provisions of engage
    ourselves in the unfruitful task of answering the

    of
    question whether the Section 25-F is void ab initio or
    merely invalid and inoperative, even if it is possible to
    discover some razor’s edge distinction between the
    Latin ‘void ab initio’ and the Anglo-Saxon ‘invalid and
    rt inoperative’. Semantic luxuries are misplaced in the
    interpretation of ‘bread and butter’ statutes. Welfare

    statutes must, of necessity receive a broad
    interpretation. Where legislation is designed to give
    relief against certain kinds of mischief, the court is

    not to make inroads by making etymological
    excursions. Void ab initio’, ‘invalid and inoperative’ or
    call it what you will, the workmen and the employer

    are primarily concerned with the consequence of
    striking down the order of termination of the services

    of the workmen. Plain common sense dictates that
    the removal of an order terminating the services of
    workmen must ordinarily lead to the reinstatement of

    the services of the workmen. It is as if the order has
    never been, and so it must ordinarily lead to back
    wages too. But there may be exceptional
    circumstances which make it impossible or wholly
    inequitable vis-a-vis the employer and workmen to
    direct reinstatement with full back wages. For
    instance, the industry might have closed down or
    might be in severe financial doldrums; the workmen

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    concerned might have secured better or other
    employment elsewhere and so on. In such situations,
    there is a vestige of discretion left in the court to
    make appropriate consequential orders. The court

    .

    may deny the relief of reinstatement where

    reinstatement is impossible because the industry has
    closed down. The court may deny the relief of award
    of full back back wages where that would place an

    impossible burden on the employer. In such and
    other exceptional cases the court may mould the
    relief, but, ordinarily the relief to be awarded must be

    of
    reinstatement with full back wages. That relief must
    be awarded where no special impediment in the way
    of awarding the relief is clearly shown. True,
    occasional hardship may be caused to an employer
    rt but we must remember that, more often than not,
    comparatively far greater hardship is certain to be

    caused to the workmen if the relief is denied than to
    the employer if the relief is granted.”

    22. The Hon’ble Supreme Court had again reiterated the

    same view in Pawan Kumar Agarwala vs. General Manager-II &

    Appointing Auth. State Bank of India and others, (2015) 13

    SCALE 45, and had come to the conclusion that the view taken

    in J.K. Synthetics Ltd. versus K.P. Agrawal and another, (2007) 2

    SCC 433, that on reinstatement, the employee/workman cannot

    claim continuity of service as of right is contrary to the ratio of

    the judgments in M/s Hindustan Tin Works case (supra), and

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    Surendra Kumar‘s case (Supra) cannot be treated as good law.

    The relavant para of the judgment is reproduced as hereunder:

    .

    “19. Further, the learned Single Judge has examined

    the opinion sought for from the C.V.O. by the
    disciplinary authority on the penalty to be imposed
    upon the appellant, the C.V.O. has suggested the

    major penalty of removal, the same is inconsistent
    with the norms applicable in the Bank’s disciplinary
    proceedings. The learned Single Judge examined the

    of
    action of the disciplinary authority in relation to the
    Branch Manager Hallydayganj Branch that
    facilitating the second loan to the loanee, Mr. Tapan
    Kumar Sangma, closely known to the said Manager,
    rt the same allegation has been treated as a minor
    lapse, but in the context of the appellant they have

    imposed major penalty, which is a clear case of
    discrimination. The appellant’s admission with regard
    to writing the loan applications of Abdul Kuddus

    Mondal and Hasanuzzaman to enable them to avail
    contract finance from the Hallydayganj Branch, the
    contention urged on behalf of the appellant is

    examined and held that the said applicants had
    availed loans to the extent of 10,000/-and 15,000/-

    respectively from the Phulbari Branch of the S.B.I.,
    projecting that minimal loss and both the loans were
    cleared of, assuming that the disciplinary

    proceedings were just and fair, learned senior
    counsel for the appellant argued that the minor
    punishment proposed by the disciplinary authority of
    pay reduction should have been considered
    reasonable in the context of the charges. The learned
    Single Judge, after considering the opinion/report
    DEX-4, held that the enquiry officer did not base his
    conclusion on any incriminatory materials and in fact

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    the report DEX-4 was totally ignored which would
    have established the innocence of the delinquent and
    further held that the enquiry officer conducted the
    enquiry sans furnishing the copies of crucial

    .

    documents and furnishing the list of witnesses. It

    appears to be a case of denial of fair opportunity to
    the delinquent in gross violation of the procedural
    requirements of the Service Rules. That finding is

    based on factual, undisputed facts and in conformity
    with Single Judge has rightly held that the enquiry the
    law, therefore, in our opinion, the learned conducted

    of
    against the appellant was unfair and the findings
    recorded on the charges are finding the learned
    Single Judge has also perverse in law. While recording
    such a proceeded to hold that the enquiry was found
    rt
    to be vitiated for the reason that the then Branch
    Manager Mr. Pradeep Kumar Das of Hallydaygani

    Branch was never examined in the enquiry and
    without his evidence, conclusion on culpability of the
    delinquent on the loans disbursed by the Branch

    Manager of Hallydayganj to the loanee could not
    have been reasonably reached by anyone, including
    the enquiry officer and imposing major penalty on

    the basis of the C.V.O. without there being any legal
    evidence on record, the enquiry was not properly

    conducted due to non-furnishing the list of witnesses
    and copies of the documents, therefore, the exercise
    of power on the basis of the C.V.O.’s opinion for

    removal of the appellant from service entail serious
    consequences. Therefore, placing reliance on K.P.
    Narayanan Kutty
    (supra), the learned Single Judge
    held that the action taken in accepting the C.V.O.’s
    view and passing order of removal is arbitrary,
    unreasonable and gross violation of Article 14 of the
    Constitution of India. Having said so, the learned
    Single Judge has set aside the order of removal and

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    granted reinstatement of the appellant with 25%
    back wages in the absence of any proof to show that
    he was gainfully employed from the date of order of
    removal till the date of the decision rendered by the

    .

    learned Single Judge and the Division Bench of the

    High Court, therefore, the same is contrary to the law
    laid down by this Court in the case of Deepali Gundu
    Surwase vs. Kranti Junior Adhyapak Mahavidyalaya

    (D. ED.) & Ors., (2013) 10 SCC 324, para 38 is quoted
    hereinunder:

    “38. The propositions which can be culled out

    of
    from the aforementioned judgments are:

    i) In cases of wrongful termination of service,
    reinstatement with continuity of service and back
    wages is the normal rule.

    rtii) The aforesaid rule is subject to the rider that
    while deciding the issue of back wages, the

    adjudicating authority or the Court may take into
    consideration the length of service of the
    employee/workman, the nature of misconduct, if

    any, found proved against the
    employee/workman, the financial condition of the
    employer and similar other factors.

    iii) Ordinarily, an employee or workman whose
    services are terminated and who is desirous of

    getting back wages is required to either plead or
    at least make a statement before the adjudicating
    authority or the Court of first instance that he/she

    was not gainfully employed or was employed on
    lesser wages. If the employer wants to avoid
    payment of full back wages, then it has to plead
    and also lead cogent evidence to prove that the
    employee/workman was gainfully employed and
    was getting wages equal to the wages he/she was
    drawing prior to the termination of service. This is
    so because it is settled law that the burden of

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    19

    proof of the existence of a particular fact lies on
    the person who makes a positive averments about
    its existence. It is always easier to prove a positive
    fact than to prove a negative fact. Therefore, once

    .

    the employee shows that he was not employed,

    the onus lies on the employer to specifically plead
    and prove that the employee was gainfully
    employed and was getting the same or

    substantially similar emoluments.

    iv) The cases in which the Labour Court/Industrial
    Tribunal exercises power under Section 11-A of

    of
    the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and finds that
    even though the enquiry held against the
    employee/workman is consistent with the rules of
    natural justice and/or certified standing orders, if
    rt
    any, but holds that the punishment was
    disproportionate to the misconduct found proved,

    then it will have the discretion not to award full
    back wages. However, if the Labour
    Court/Industrial Tribunal finds that the employee

    or workman is not at all guilty of any misconduct
    or that the employer had foisted a false charge,
    then there will be ample justification for award of

    full back wages.

    v) The cases in which the competent Court or

    Tribunal finds that the employer has acted in
    gross violation of the statutory provisions and/or
    the principles of natural justice or is guilty of

    victimizing the employee or workman, then the
    Court or Tribunal concerned will be fully justified
    in directing payment of full back wages. In such
    cases, the superior Courts should not exercise
    power under Article 226 or 136 of the Constitution
    and interfere with the award passed by the
    Labour Court, etc., merely because there is a
    possibility of forming a different opinion on the

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    entitlement of the employee/workman to get full
    back wages or the employer’s obligation to pay
    the same. The Courts must keep in view that in the
    cases of wrongful/illegal termination of service,

    .

    the wrongdoer is the employer and the sufferer is

    the employee/workman and there is no
    justification to give a premium to the employer of
    his wrongdoings by relieving him of the burden to

    pay to the employee/workman his dues in the
    form of full back wages.

    vi) In a number of cases, the superior Courts have

    of
    interfered with the award of the primary
    adjudicatory authority on the premise that
    finalization of litigation has taken long time
    ignoring that in majority of cases the parties are
    rt
    not to infrastructure and manpower is the
    principal cause for delay in the disposal of cases.

    For this the litigants cannot be blamed or
    penalised. It would amount to grave injustice to
    an employee or workman if he is denied back

    wages simply because there is long lapse of time
    between the termination of his service and finality
    given the order of reinstatement. The Courts

    should bear in mind that in most of these cases,
    the employer is in an advantageous position vis-à-

    vis the employee or workman. He can avail the
    services of best legal brain for prolonging the
    agony of the sufferer, i.e., the employee or

    workman, who can ill afford the luxury of
    spending money on a lawyer with certain amount
    of fame. Therefore, in such cases it would be
    prudent to adopt the course suggested in
    Hindustan Tin Works Private Limited vs.
    Employees of Hindustan Tin Works Private
    Limited
    , (1979) 2 SCC 80.

    vii) The observation made in J.K. Synthetics Ltd. v.

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    21

    K.P. Agrawal, (2007) 2 SCC 433 that on
    reinstatement the employee/workman cannot
    claim continuity of service as of right is contrary
    to the ratio of the judgments of three Judge

    .

    Benches referred to hereinabove and cannot be

    treated as good law. This part of the judgment is
    also against the very concept of reinstatement of
    an employee/workman.”

    23. In view of the law laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme

    of
    Court in the aforementioned pronouncements, since there is no

    fault on the part of petitioner in not being in service with the
    rt
    respondents during the period he remained out of service, he is

    held entitled to the salary for the said period of absence.

    24. This Court cannot lose sight of the fact that the

    petitioner was regularized as JBT by the respondents on

    01.08.1998. Once the petitioner was made regular with the

    respondents and the respondents themselves have admitted

    this fact while filing reply and furthermore, once the

    termination order has been set aside by this Court which fact

    has also not been disputed by the respondents, the petitioner is

    held entitled to both the reliefs; benefit of ACP increments and

    the salary of the absence period.

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    22

    25. The plea taken by the respondents that since the

    petitioner has not worked for the said period is rejected for the

    .

    reason that the petitioner was compelled not to serve with the

    respondents on account of the termination order. As already

    observed above, once the said termination order has been

    quashed, the petitioner cannot be denied the salary qua the

    of
    said period.

    26. rt One more glaring fact is to be taken note of that in

    the present case, the services of the petitioners were not

    terminated on account of misconduct or misbehaviour. Further

    his selection was made by the respondents, which was set aside

    by the Tribunal and thereafter his services were terminated

    after expiry of our months period given to the respondents to

    do the entire exercise of making selection. The services of the

    petitioner were regularized to the post of JBT on 01.08.1998 and

    further once, this Court had already quashed the said order, the

    petitioner is held entitled to all the benefits as given to other

    employee and also the salary qua the period of absence.

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    23

    27. Consequently, the present petition is allowed and

    the respondents are directed to grant three ACP increments to

    .

    the legal heirs of the petitioner on completion of his 4, 9 and 14

    years of regular service as JBT Teacher from due date and

    further the salary of the absence period of 68 days w.e.f.

    23.02.2005 to 30.04.2005 be also paid to them.

    of

    28. Since the original petitioner has died, the benefits

    be given to his legal heirs, who have been brought on record
    rt
    vide order dated 25.11.2021. In case, the arrears on account of

    the grant of ACP and salary are not released in favour of the

    legal heirs of the petitioner within a period of three months

    from today, the same shall carry interest at the rate of 6% per

    annum from the date of filing of the petition till its payment.

    29. Pending miscellaneous application(s), if any, shall

    also stand disposed of.

        11th March, 2026                                ( Jiya Lal Bhardwaj )
              (ankit)                                           Judge
    
    
    
    
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