DTC fought conductor for 32 years over Rs 67, now fined Rs 1 lakh by Delhi HC
The Delhi High Court has imposed a fine of one lakh rupees on the Delhi Transport Corporation for its relentless pursuit of a thirty-two-year-old legal battle involving a bus conductor. The court criticized the drawn-out litigation as an abuse of the legal system. The conductor had been seeking seventeen months of unpaid wages following his dismissal, while the court dismissed DTC's challenge to…
In a 32-year-long legal battle, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has been fined Rs 1 lakh by the Delhi High Court for the pursuit of a minor dispute over back wages held by a bus conductor. The cost of litigation, imposed by Justice Amit Mahajan, will be paid to the Delhi High Legal Services Committee, PM Relief Fund, and the conductor himself.
The dispute traces back to 1994, when the conductor was accused of failing to provide tickets to three passengers despite collecting a fare of Rs 67. Despite the enquiry officer ruling in favor of the conductor, the DTC's disciplinary authority disagreed and initiated a show-cause notice for his removal. Following this, the conductor was dismissed in August 1996.
The conductor contested the decision, leading to the DTC chairman-cum-managing director rescinding his removal order. In 1998, the DTC reinstated the conductor but declined to pay back wages and reduced his salary. This situation escalated to the Industrial Tribunal, which, in 2004, declared the punishment illegal and ordered the conductor to receive his regular pay, arrears, and wages for the period in question.
The high court stayed the tribunal's order in July 2005, but in its recent September 2 ruling, Justice Mahajan found no legal grounds to contradict the tribunal's findings. He criticized the DTC for persisting with the issue for 32 years, labeling the prolonged litigation as an abuse of the process of law, which wasted public funds.
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