The recent Supreme Court order dismissing the curative petition filed by the management of Life Insurance Corporation would help more than 8,000 employees of Class III and IV categories, said NS Gopalakrishnan, secretary (south zone), of the Southern Terminated LIC Workers Sangh.
In a statement, he said that thanks to a division bench headed by Justice J S Khehar dismissing LIC’s curative petition on February 22, more than 8,000 sacked administrative assistants and other employees, including 1,600 in Tamil Nadu would get reinstated with 50% back wages.
He said LIC had been hiring these employees since 1985 and after it started sacking them, the employees moved the Central Government Industrial Tribunal (CGIT) and obtained a favourable order. The tribunal directed the LIC to reinstate the employees but the Corporation challenged the order and the same was dismissed by the Supreme Court. When LIC refused to implement the CGIT order, the national body of the association had twice filed contempt petition in 2015 and 2016, after which the LIC had filed the curative petition, he said.
Finally, the apex court dismissed the curative petition holding that “no case was made out within the parameters indicated in the decision of this court in Rupa Ahok Hurra Vs Ashok Hurra & Anr, reported in 2002 (4) SCC 388.” This marked the ending of the more than 25-year legal wrangle, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said. He hoped that the LIC would reinstate the employees with full benefits.
