18/4/2020
PUNE (NEW
DELHI): In an innovation during the unprecedented lockdown, two
lawyers replicated the Supreme Court's three-decade-old PIL concept to suo motu
issue legal notice to three software companies warning them of consequences for
serving termination notices on many employees and announcing salary cuts for
others.
Citing the prime minister's appeal to employers not to lay off
any employee during the lockdown period, advocate Rajesh Inamdar and T C Shaikh
sent legal notices to two Pune-based firms and a Gurgaon-based company for
issuing termination letters to nearly 100 employees and also announcing salary
cuts for others.
Normally, an advocate issues legal notice on behalf of his
client. But in this case, the two advocates decided to act suo motu after being
informed about a large number of employees losing jobs at a time when they are
forced to stay home because of the lockdown. They reminded the company owners
about their possible prosecution under the National Disaster Management Act for
sacking employees during a pandemic.
"When things stood thus, it has come to light that you
have illegally placed over 100 employees working for your company under notice
period without any cogent and valid reasons. Further, you have also denied
salary to several other employees and sent them on forced leave. What is
appalling is several employees are also put on notice since mid-March with no
indication about their future prospects with the company," the lawyers
said in their notice.
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