On Thursday, April 7, the Bombay High Court told the counsel for MSRTC employees that "when there is a fight between the lion and the lamb, the lamb has to be protected. With this, it concluded hearing the petition filed by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) against its striking employees, cited reports.
According to accounts, the HC bench remarked that it will be extending the time to April 22 from April 15 which it had earlier mentioned on Wednesday, April 6 for all the personnel to rejoin work without any fear of action from the administration.
It has been reported that the senior counsel of the MSRTC cited legal provisions such as an impediment that would make it arduous to take a stand to withdraw action undertaken against those staff who had restored to violence.
However, the Bombay HC uttered that it will substitute it with their order since it was a special situation. Apart from extending the date, they will permit the staffers to rejoin the work but with a warning that their actions cannot be repeated. An order in the same effect will be passed in the evening.
Amid concerns of more suicides by the staff, the HC orally said that it was concerned that no further deaths transpire and that all employees are employed.
Other than this, the MSRTC counsel also highlighted that the staffers receive provided funds and gratuity benefits. This amount is reportedly given by the PF Commissioner who disburses it. Apart from this, a special gratuity trust on an application is made. The Bombay HC, however, recommended that the amount should be given to them on the retirement date itself.
On Tuesday, April 5, the state had submitted that it had accepted all the recommendations made by the court-appointed committee. It had mentioned many laws and stated that it was not feasible to accept the demand of the MSRTC employees to merge their employment with that of the state government employees who receive a pension.
Based on narratives, the HC uttered that the staff union or employees were free to separately challenge it by filing an appropriate petition.
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