New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Friday sought the response of its Registrar General and the Delhi government on a plea seeking the appointment of presiding officers in vacant Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals and to increase the number of such establishments for speedy disposal of cases.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla issued notice to the administrative side of the high court and the Delhi government on the petition filed by the Labour Law Association.
The court said that the response or status report by the authorities shall be filed within three weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on May 18.
“It has to be done by us only, thanks for reminding us,” Justice Sanghi said on a lighter note and added, “We will look into it. Whatever vacancies are there we will certainly look into it”.
The petitioner association, through advocates Rajiv Agarwal and Meghna De, challenged the action on the part of the respondents in not considering the January 20, 2021 representation seeking appointment of presiding officers in vacant Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals.
The plea also sought direction to increase the number of Labour courts and Industrial Tribunals.
The plea said the petitioner was aggrieved by the action of authorities in decreasing the number of Labour Courts and Tribunals from time to time without consultation with the trade unions and management federations.
“Despite the sanctioned strength of 10 Labour Courts and 3 Industrial Tribunals, the respondents unmindfully reduced Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals without any prior information to any of the stakeholders. In 2017, when the Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunal were shifted from Karkardooma District Court Complex to Dwarka District Court Complex, there were nine Labour Courts and two Industrial Tribunal functional. However, suddenly after eight months only five Labour Courts and one Industrial Tribunal were functional,” it said.
The plea said at the time of sending the representation, there were only five Labour Court and one Industrial Tribunal in function, and even today, only nine Labour Courts and two Industrial Tribunals are functional which is still less than the sanctioned strength.
The chronic problem of vacant Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals in Delhi has consequently led to unnecessary delay in the disposal of disputes and an increase in pendency of disputes, it said.
Such delay and prolonged pendency cause undue hardships to the litigants. Such delay also adds to the agony of the parties, especially the poor litigating workmen,” it said. PTI SKV RKS RKS
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