High Court Karnataka High Court

Prabhakar S/O Devidas Dhongadwe, vs The Asstexecutive Engineer, Ors, on 25 May, 2009

Karnataka High Court
Prabhakar S/O Devidas Dhongadwe, vs The Asstexecutive Engineer, Ors, on 25 May, 2009
Author: B.S.Patil
w? 40688/2608
_ 1 -
{N THE H¥GH comm' OF' KARNATAKA
CIRCUIT BENCH AT GULBARGA H .
DATED "rms THE 25TH DAY OF' MAY, 20Q9« "
BEFORE _  " '
THE HON'BLE MR..3UST>g'é$§.s,I¥rA*1*-1'1, ,:_': V V_
W.P.No.40688>l2;v00é'iIA.;*I'§'&   . 2 " 
BETWEEN: V   ' V

Prabhakar,

S; 0 Devidas Dhongada,

Agftd 38 years, Occ: Nil, _T  9 

R/Q ("fife Nanayan Basudkar,   V

Komtigalli, Post:CZ}:1in;ii3(31i, 3' 9'  _  -  '

Dist. Gulbarga.       _   PETITIONER

my sri P-W!» H*3mnr;    

AND:

, The A  EX£:T1C1i£iV§':  Engificer,
.' ' ..F.    v- . . . . . .. '

V.   Sist. ._Gu;ba;»ga.

2. '¥:'1:.€"Chief' 
PWD, T' fin B (¥iZ_m'th), Dhaxwad,

 _ D.C.CompOund, Qhazwad.

"  i'  ,S€<:rtéviaIy'' : ,

_ '~.§3I1blié..W0rk3 Depa.,r£m&:1t,
' , M5S:3!.'iil€i:iIIg,
' Bagfgtgalore.  RESPONDENTS

H  V   Mjfiumnr, AGA)

This Writ Petition is filed under Articles 226 8:. 1227 of the

" Consfitutiorz of Inéia prayiag to quash the order of the Labour Court,

Gulbarga dated 29.07.2008, which is at Anncxure-C, Ref.



WP 40688/2008
.. Q ..

N034/$2005 and antler for reinstatement of petitiofier, with full
backwages and  0f aexvice and ali othar Consequentjai
benétfits. 

This WP. is com:i12g on for Pmfiminaxy Hearing  this
délffi the Court made: the following:  ' --«  --~.. " ;. 

ORDER

1. In this writ gefiiien, petiitioncr ii; :_ c}t_1,ate{1.._.

29.07.2008 passed by the Labo1;1*_{3ouzA’t, C3Vu1ba.zjg:§:,A’.;c¥i:§mi£§éi11g i:}:.e
Reference bearing N934] 2005 mafia» {he Smté’ ‘%V£§II1I¥lCfit mzcier
Section 19(1)(C) of the Indtiétrial (hfirtéiiiéfter referred to

as ‘the Act’, far short}

2. It Wag this ‘fi3¢’}”:~:§{i$fiont:r that he was orally appointed as
a Literate As’Si.s’iant’o?nVC$;?i11yuw;§L’gé basis on 01.03.1933 under the pat

raspondgs.-mt _-5 Exezcutive Engineer, RWLD. S*ub-Division,

mad that he continued his work till he was

0153213? fmfn his service on 14.01.1989. He claimed that as

‘*?z1& ha£1~..5;_§er1«;3l£’il “‘A_;:>etition was mzmbextzd as ‘?65/ 2000, Eventually the said

petition came to be mjected as barzté by limitation. Thereafter,

iifisas claimant approached the appropriate (}Qvcr3:1,m£int seeking

zfiferafice and the State Gcvcmment rezferreci the dispute under

c4251-“‘§”<\
'g 1

xx'

we qeesaxzoes

W3-

Seetien 10(1}((:} of the Act during the year 2005.

Assistant Executive Engineer appeareé azmi c0n’feTste§iVV.

cont;e11r}ing inter alia that the petiiioxggef’ wae ‘1éet: 3:; AV

empicwyee of the respondent 013 beSVie “at3.«i VV
question of Sexminafion of his Ti evas fie
conmnded that the estabfis1}me1;t-~*ef _:£1ie*-»_ree;e>e:1r.l–entViwas not an
indusuy as defined 1inde1″u”‘i:fi.eA was not a

workman. Gmund offiielay was also taken.

3. Based ofi’ Court raisefi issues as

regards theeVi1§it11;eeVfef of the 235′ respondent as an

iifldlistlfy’. Came to be raised as foiieowsc
“W};ethe;the worked under the respondent

as} 3 workm’;2z.::a? if so, whether the services were

~ 4, _feiI1:.1§.f1ete€iA~c.311 14.omi§1989?”

‘i’h0i3gh’..__Qthef”_~vi_ss2;ee were also raisefi, Since they are not very

ylgermanéw fox-“__ fi;e”‘ purpose of disposal of the writ petition, it is

, .e .,”;fij;21ieeeVssa13%’–te refer to ‘Chem.

A’ elaixnaxlbworkman examined himself. He dié not produce

‘V V ségaésféioetzxnerzt to ShOW that he was employed as a workman under

the 13’ respondent nor did he choose to examine any eo—-empiGyee.

WP 40688[20()8

– 4 –

On behalf of the mspondent, the Assistant Executive Engineer
concerned was examined who deposed that the pctitiozlsrwas never

employed as a Workman in thrtir e:stab1isI1.r:1eI1t.

.3″ The Labour Court, by the impugned order ”

‘ -1

estabiishment ef the mspondent–As3is;{aht*«§’,x€cutivé-1:


ngiz:t:er'--V«wa$. AV r

not an inclustryr it has also held    'no; to A

estafifish that the respondent ._cng2.1V’gfz’:ief:’erer1c€:V itglxe long and inortliaate dttlay of 19

years in apprc§5ichingVt11éA~f:r3uI;t. Acczordingly, the reference came: to

£gggrir:§r:d..hy this, the prrzsfint writ getition is filers}.

appr:ari1},g for the §3t3£i’ti0I1€:I’ Sr; Viias Kumar

‘ the judgment of the Apex Court in Civii Appcsal

1/ RG67 dispesed if on 28.09.2067 in the case of Karan Sizngh

Exerfiiitive Engirleezr, Haxyana State Marketing Board, has stmngiy

._.f2r£nt§§;:1ded that the Industriai Triiaunal or the Labour Court have no

g;»:;xs2e;’ to invaiidatc the reference on the ground of deiay. He has

drawn my attention :0 the observations made by file Apex Court in

$2: ..

_=r,/s,’ /’
Err”

W? 40688] 2008

., 5 –

paragraph 9 of the said aids? to the effect, that 1116 ixzéustfiai
Tribtmai nsi1ic1’ai:$’f.¢:’

c0nir:11t:icm in as much as only can the g1*621’nd of delaji; ‘.’;,*1e’1i:fenmné{t

cannot be dismissed hcislding that no fifths” A

is guiity of delay and latchas in I116 réiitzf
couid ha appropriately moulded, x'<t31'at_ ca1:'u'10t._Abg §a ground to
dismiss the reference statixig exists which Ieqmxva' (1

inciustrial adjudicatiozq. recorded by the:

Labour Cofirt 11o t'1'-i,s._;;utrc existed on the ciate of reference

this to d€:}ay;Ca:nnof be

Cnzinsfilv fog: the pefitioner is also further justified in

IA'cQfii:e5:r,;3#§.11g "1.?1at:1b.ve establishxncmt in question namely, the Oficrz of

thé Engineer, Pubiic Works Department, Sub–

V V' Divisiofi; Gulbarga Sistrict, is an industry far the purpose of

H Actt Rcfémnce made to the decisien of the Apex Court by the

L:."«.1§)f}_V1L1I'~ in this regard siating that since it was 3 GOV{§I'IlII1fiI}t

'::'u:3.dTei'taki11g discharging sovfirczign funczions, tha department cannot

VA "bk: {armed as .3 industry cannot be accepted, as the Labour Court has

glossed ever the iaw on this point and has met referred to the other

1

41::

Xx

W? 40688 1′ 2008

:5″

minding precedents incluciing that of Rajappafs

contantion of the iearzled Counsel for the p€titiOl}€f”i:i1€i:tVA”

Court erred in recortiing such a findi:1g:héS’to« L.


8. However, what is not in favziuxjuof  
case. is the: finding recorded by the    question of
fact as. to whether the  hag.   gfispondent as
3 workman and if   jvvtféiere terminated on
14.01.1939. 011    Court has held that
there was no    i'éCOI'd a finding that the
ciaimant     as 3 Workman It is not

in disizmte tiiat “{€,’«,”‘4((2V(*:_”{.)1:.jV€%1vV’..?.v.A:tE ~€fiii€i§§¥”¥%T§€–~ of the workman, no other material

is pxvduccd befdm fl’}.E:vvC1:(}iiI_”£.V”~”.i36ti’lt3′.(}I1{i’}f’ has not chosen 4:0 examine

PetiAtVit):1–;:-r« has also not filed any apglication calling

13j:n:31’1 xpajgiagsxzgéfit to produce the relevant extract, be it the wage

Vvymgistfir {if the roll or any other dacument. The respondent

has spetgifigzésiiynvfiontended that petitioner was not employed as a

addition, what is required to be kept in mind in this

K ctaSe’A’1;3’»¥:1ié1t tbs: petitioner had approached the Labour Cami: at the

‘ urzéer Section 10(4A) aftczr a iapsc of 11 years from the

{fife of the aliegcd tezminafion and substaquemly by way of reference

under Section 1()(I)(c) in the year 2005 afitisr the claim petitian filed

WP 40688 ,” 2008

-7,

was dismissed. Theugh, learned Counsel for the

contends that in a matter like this, where an empiejseev

an daily wage basis, it is rather hazs1V1′ te”e§r”ne.M_ ‘ct

evidence evidencing either the ‘ the
employee and hence the Labour Ceu.et”:¥as
bmrien an the workman tov e;~”§tabii§ah* iactuaigiy appointed
under the management, in this of this case, I
do not find that $1;.ei1__a to the aid of the
petitkmer. 1 it I i In V V it V

9. In employee raises a dispute
and produceeg Show that he was an employee

and was subeeqniently tezfttaitieted, the burden will shift to the

:.€ii}})’1()jF€_i:”‘ 3z*..v1’1;<__:f[ cQnte:ii:Isvv–th3t there was :10 relationship ef employer

e11if)}0yee,V"£0;"piftiduce necessary decuments and to Show that the

vwerk1i3ia_.fi'VivaeS itietiiitieingaged by the management Counsel for the

petitionelt ie" jiuetified in placing xelianee for this preposition on

juiigiirients of thie Court and also of the Apex Court including

me: iefi' the case in R.H.YEL1′.A’TT1′ vs ASSISTANT wammvm

V J «- 2005:1031 pm 213. But what is gimmg in this case is

though as per the petitioner himself he was terminated from

service on 14.01.1989, he has kept quiet for a peritxri of 1} years to

WP 40688/’2()()8

-3-

make a claim under Section ji0(4A} of the Aci which&V.3§é;§V’V

not majntainabic. Having appmached the Court a

thereafter having msofied to the re11*ie€iy” «1.11;tf,er_:

seeking reference, it was incumbent upgiz} .p€fiIvi'{:IA).IZk&?1′ ztci
acceptable material to prima facie V#:2*»:fé§f3.lb.ishA.{§iat’h§Vb$§?z:iie:;vVéiI1pioycd
the Assimant Executive Enghqcer wages. He
could have atleast made a cafling upon the
zespondent to .__t_he ‘fivhich according to
him wouid mfle-;rt”2!ii$_ done either. In these
ci1’cumst.an§;es,TV it was the duty of the

mspondenfits :.:3taE$li:t~:h- -$’£i£i0ner was not its empioyec.

10¢ Thr; _facts of this case do not Shaw that the

;_vLahQurcomm:i¥t6g§——–wy illggality in holding that in the absencn

of by the employee in support of his plea that

wafis worlman, no finding could ha mcorded balding

“that thez;e :;clati0ns]:1ip of employer and employee and that he

t:§:fB1i;1a£ed illegally on 14.01.1989. At. any rate, this finding of

faétt AL-§a{ri§1g been arrived at on the basis of the material on record.,

‘ in exercise of Writ jurisdiction wii}. net upset the same

fifiless it is found that there is any apparent error or illegality

coxnmiiteci in rscoxding such a fmding.

J9′

W P 40688 / 2008

11. in the light of the above, I do 130′: find any the
conclusion arrived at by the Labour Court Hence,-[ft;h¢..S;§i;ii:”;;i§i:ifio;:1

faiis and the same is dismissed. .’ H »’

:mD<t:~;E

KK