ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court has sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government on "almost non-existent infrastructure" available to a labour court and an industrial tribunal in Gorakhpur.
It has asked the principal secretary of Ministry of Labour to submit the report on possible remedial steps by December 17, the next date of hearing in the case.
Justice JJ Munir passed the order on Wednesday in a petition filed by Vashisth Rai, whose case was pending in the labour court of Gorakhpur for almost 12 years.
On December 7, the court had asked an explanation from the presiding officer, Labour Court, Gorakhpur as to why adjudication in the matter was pending for the last 12 years.
In compliance with the order, the presiding officer of the labour court submitted his report.
According to his report, 1,291 matters are under adjudication and the labour court and the industrial tribunal together are functioning in a private house.
They have a single courtroom and a single chamber to serve the presiding officers of both the forum, it said.
The report said the labour court and the industrial tribunal sit in the same courtroom and so they can't work simultaneously and that is why the labour court was working for three days a week and the industrial tribunal was working for two days a week.
"The report reveals a very disturbing state of affairs about organization/function/infrastructure for dispensation of justice," the court observed.
"The almost non-existent infrastructure has to be immediately restored and suggestions in this regard must be reported to this court," it added.