CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld a single judge bench order regularising the services of 66 employees of Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore. A division bench comprising Justice R Subramanian and Justice G Arul Murugan directed the university to regularise their services from the date of the award while maintaining continuity of service.
The court dismissed the university’s appeal challenging the 29.05.2020 order of the single judge, which had upheld the Labour Court’s decision. The Vellore Labour Court had earlier ordered the reinstatement and regularisation of the employees, citing unfair labour practices by the university.
Established in 2002, Thiruvalluvar University initially had a sanctioned strength of only 22 non-teaching staff. However, it employed several additional staff members on a temporary basis over the years. In 2013, these employees were terminated, leading to widespread protests. They accused the university of exploiting temporary workers.
In 2016, the Labour Court found the university guilty of unfair labour practices and ordered their reinstatement with 30% back wages and regularisation. Challenging this, the university approached the high court, citing procedural irregularities and the absence of sanctioned posts.
The court criticised the university for employing workers in essential roles on a temporary basis and later terminating them, deeming it exploitative. The division bench ruled that the single judge’s order required no interference.
The university must regularise the employees from the date of the Labour Court’s award, without additional monetary benefits until now. It has eight weeks to implement the order, and the government must sanction the necessary posts. Regarding the Uma Devi case, the court noted that while it aimed to curb unauthorised appointments, it also stressed that temporary employment should not become a norm.