Gangia Devi, wife of Late Jodhi Mahato v. Bharat Coking Coal Ltd
2020-07-07
RAVI RANJAN, SUJIT NARAYAN PRASAD
body2020
DigiLaw.ai
JUDGMENT : 1. The matter has been heard with the consent of learned counsel for the parties through video conferencing. None of the parties has raised any complaint regarding audio and visual quality. L.P.A. No.657 of 2018 The instant intra-court appeal is under Clause-10 of Letters Patent of High Court of Judicature at Patna directed against the part of the judgment dated 04.09.2018 passed in W.P.(S) No.1876 of 2016, whereby and whereunder, the monetary compensation has been directed to be paid from the date of filing of application for monetary compensation and not with effect from the date of death. 2. The brief facts of the case are required to be referred herein, which reads as hereunder:- The husband of the appellant-writ petitioner, late Jodhi Mahato was a permanent employee of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (in short ‘B.C.C.L.’) and while working at South Govindpur Colliery at the post of Driller died in harness on 11.04.1996. The son of writ petitioner, namely, Kailash Mahato, made an application on 11.07.1996 before the Project Officer, South Govindpur Colliery, Area No.-III, requesting therein to provide appointment on compassionate ground as per the provision of National Coal Wage Agreement (in short ‘N.C.W.A.’) but the same was rejected vide order dated 06/07.06.2000. Thereafter, the appellant, wife of the deceased employee made an application to allow the benefit of monetary compensation on 06.11.2002 along with relevant documents but no decision has been taken, having no option, writ petition has been filed invoking the jurisdiction of this Court conferred under Article 226 of the Constitution of India being W.P.(S) No.1876 of 2016 which was disposed of vide order dated 04.09.2018 holding the writ petitioner entitle for monetary compensation but the same has been directed to be payable with effect from 06.12.2002. 3. Mr. Niranjan Singh, learned counsel appearing for the appellant-writ petitioner has submitted that under the condition contained in National Coal Wage Agreement, there is a provision for monetary compensation and irrespective of an application to be filed by the wife of deceased employee, the compensation has to be paid from the date of death of deceased employee and not from the date of making an application.
According to him, in this case an application has been filed on 06.11.2002 and as such, the learned Single Judge holding the writ petitioner entitle to get the monetary compensation from the date of application and not from the date of death of deceased employee and therefore, the present appeal. 4. Mr. Amit Kumar Das, learned counsel appearing for the respondent-B.C.C.L has submitted that monetary compensation could not have been paid, since an application has been filed by the son of deceased employee for consideration of his case for appointment on compassionate ground vide application dated 11.07.1996 which was rejected on 07.06.2000 and it is only thereafter, the application has been filed by the wife of deceased employee for monetary compensation and taking it into consideration, the order of compensation has been passed by the learned Single Judge rightly from the date of application, as such, the same may not be interfered with. 5. This Court after having heard the learned counsel for the parties and on appreciation of rival submissions advanced on their behalf as also the materials available on record vis-à-vis the finding recorded by the learned Single Judge, deem it fit and proper first to refer the provision of National Coal Wage Agreement which was applicable during the time of death of deceased employee, for ready reference, relevant provisions as contained under Clause-9.3.1, 9.3.3 and 9.5.0 are being referred herein, which reads as hereunder:- “9.3.1 Employment would be provided to one dependent of the workers who are disabled permanently and also those who die while in service. 9.3.3 The dependant for this purpose means the wife/husband as the case may be unmarried daughter, son and legally adopted son. If no such direct dependant is available for employment, brother, widowed daughter/widowed daughter-in-law or son-in-law of the employee may be considered. In so far as female dependants are concerned, their employment would be governed by the provisions of Clause 9.5.0. Clause 9.5.0 of N.C.W.A.-V stipulates the following:- (i) In case of death due to mine accident, the female dependant would have the option to either accept the monetary compensation of Rs.3,000/-per month or employment irrespective of age.
In so far as female dependants are concerned, their employment would be governed by the provisions of Clause 9.5.0. Clause 9.5.0 of N.C.W.A.-V stipulates the following:- (i) In case of death due to mine accident, the female dependant would have the option to either accept the monetary compensation of Rs.3,000/-per month or employment irrespective of age. (ii) In case of death/total permanent disablement due to cause other than mine accident and medical unfitness under clause 9.4.0., if the female dependant is below the age of 45 years she will have the option to accept the monetary compensation of Rs.2,000/-per month or employment. In case the female dependant is above 45 years of age she will be entitled to monetary compensation and not for employment. 6. We after appreciating the provisions of National Coal Wage agreement have found therefrom that it is a bipartite agreement entered in between the authorities of Coal India Limited, to which, the respondent-B.C.C.L. is one of the subsidiary and the trade unions other than in course of conciliation which means that bipartite agreement will be treated to be an agreement within the meaning of Section 18(1) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and as such, the nature of agreement is having its statutory fervor, as has been held by the Hon’ble Apex Court in the case of Mohan Mahto Vs. Central Coalfield Ltd. & Ors., reported in (2007) 8 SCC 549 . This Court, therefore, is of the view that since bipartite agreement by way of National Coal Wage Agreement is having statutory fervor, therefore, the same is to be followed in its strict sense by the respective parties i.e., its signatories. It is evident from the condition as contained under Clause 9.5.0. of N.C.W.A.-V, wherein it has been agreed to provide immediate relief to the dependent of the bereaved family in case of death of deceased employee in harness, two modes have been provided to provide the said relief by way of providing employment on compassionate ground if the dependent is found to be eligible and less than 45 years of age or by way of monetary compensation. The issue as to whether the monetary compensation would be paid from the date of death or from the date of making an application is involved herein.
The issue as to whether the monetary compensation would be paid from the date of death or from the date of making an application is involved herein. It is evident from the conditions stipulated in N.C.W.A. as under Clause-9.5.0, wherein a condition of entitlement to receive monetary compensation has been made, meaning thereby, there is no stipulation made therein that the wife of the deceased employee will only be entitled to get the monetary compensation if she files an application for getting such monetary compensation, and if entitlement has been made in the agreement which has got statutory force irrespective of the fact that the application has been submitted or not, the wife of the deceased employee would be entitled to get the monetary compensation. 7. It is a cardinal rule of interpretation that when a statute provides that a particular thing should be done, it should be done in the manner prescribed and not in any other way. Reference in this regard may be made to the judgment rendered by the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of State of Uttar Pradesh vs. Singhara Singh and Ors., reported in AIR (1964) SC 358, wherein it has been held at paragraph 8 as under: “....its result is that if a statute has conferred a power to do an act and has laid down the method in which that power has to be exercised, it necessarily prohibits the doing of the act in any other manner than that which has been prescribed. The principle behind the rule is that if this were not so, the statutory provision might as well not have been enacted....” Reference has also made to the judgment rendered by the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of Babu Verghese and Ors. vs. Bar Council of Kerala and Ors., reported in (1999) 3 SCC 422 , wherein it has been at paragraphs 31 & 32 as under: “31. It is the basic principle of law long settled that if the manner of doing a particular act is prescribed under any statute, the act must be done in that manner or not at all.
It is the basic principle of law long settled that if the manner of doing a particular act is prescribed under any statute, the act must be done in that manner or not at all. The origin of this rule is traceable to the decision in Taylor v. Taylor which was followed by Lord Roche in Nazir Ahmad v. King Emperor who stated as under: “[W]here a power is given to do a certain thing in a certain way, the thing must be done in that way or not at all.” 32. This rule has since been approved by this Court in Rao Shiv Bahadur Singh v. State of V.P. and again in Deep Chand v. State of Rajasthan. These cases were considered by a three-judge bench of this Court in State of U.P. v. Singhara Singh and the rule laid down in Nazir Ahmad case was again upheld. This rule has since been applied to the exercise of jurisdiction by courts and has also been recognized as a statutory principle of administrative law.” Reference to the judgment rendered by the Hon'ble Apex Court also needs to be made in the case of Commissioner of Income Tax, Mumbai vs. Anjum M.H. Ghaswala & Ors., reported in (2002) 1 SCC 633 , wherein it has been held at paragraph 27 as under: “..... it is a normal rule of consideration that when a statute vests certain power in an authority to be exercised in a particular manner then the said authority has to exercise it only in the manner provided in the statute itself....” Reference has also made to the judgment rendered by the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of State of Jharkhand & Ors. vs. Ambay Cements & Anr., reported in (2005) 1 SCC 368 , wherein it has been held at paragraph 26 as under: “....it is the cardinal rule of interpretation that where a statute provides that a particular thing should be done, it should be done in the manner prescribed and not in any other way. It is also settled rule of interpretation that where a statute is penal in character, it must be strictly construed and followed.....” Reference has also made to the judgment rendered by the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of Zuari Cement Ltd. vs. Regional Director ESIC Hyderabad & Ors.
It is also settled rule of interpretation that where a statute is penal in character, it must be strictly construed and followed.....” Reference has also made to the judgment rendered by the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of Zuari Cement Ltd. vs. Regional Director ESIC Hyderabad & Ors. (in Civil Appeal No.5138-40/2007), reported in (2015) 7 SCC 690 , wherein it has been held at paragraph 14 as under: “14. As per the scheme of the Act, the appropriate Government alone could grant or refuse exemption. When the statute prescribed the procedure for grant or refusal of exemption from the operation of the Act, it is to be done in that manner and not in any other manner. In State of Jharkhand v. Ambay Cements, it was held that: (SCC p. 378, para 26) 26.... it is the cardinal rule of interpretation that where a statute provides that a particular thing should be done, it should be done in the manner prescribed and not in any other way.” It is the settled position of law that a thing is required to be done strictly in pursuance to the provisions of law, if any deviation, then ultimately the provision as contained under the statute will have no effect. Herein also the National Coal Wage Agreement as under Clause-9.5.0, there is no stipulation made about the date of making payment of monetary compensation and as such, the respondents cannot be allowed to interpret the aforesaid conditions about making payment of monetary compensation from the date of application and not from the date of death. It is further evident that payment of monetary compensation is to be made on account of death of deceased employee, therefore, the cause of action for disbursement of monetary compensation, according to our considered view, will be the death of employee and hence, the cause of action will be said to accrue from the date of death.
It is further evident that payment of monetary compensation is to be made on account of death of deceased employee, therefore, the cause of action for disbursement of monetary compensation, according to our considered view, will be the death of employee and hence, the cause of action will be said to accrue from the date of death. In view thereof, the contention which has been agitated by the learned counsel for the respondent-B.C.C.L. defending the impugned order, whereby and whereunder, the monetary compensation has been directed to be paid from the date of application is having no force, for the reason that the authorities of the B.C.C.L. cannot be allowed to insert anything which is not available under the statute as the agreement by way of N.C.W.A. has got statutory force under the provision of Section 18(1) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, therefore, the paramount consideration is to be looked into, will be the cause of action to get the amount of compensation. Since the monetary compensation is to be paid in consequence of death of deceased employee and therefore, the cause of action would be on the date when the death of deceased employee will occur and in that view of the matter, the wife of the deceased employee or the husband as the case may be, will be entitled to get the monetary compensation from the date of death and not from the date of application. The appellant-writ petitioner has relied upon the judgment passed by the Division Bench of this Court in the case of Putul Devi Vrs. M/s. Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. and Ors., reported in (2012) (1) JCR 436(Jharkhand), wherein also the monetary of compensation has been decided to be paid from the date of death. So far as the fact of the case is concerned, admittedly the husband of the appellant-writ petitioner has died on 11.04.1996 and immediately thereafter the application was filed by the son of deceased employee for consideration of his case for appointment on compassionate ground but the same has been rejected on 06/07.06.2000. The writ petitioner has approached to the authority by filing an application on 06.11.2002 for disbursement of monetary compensation but having not been disbursed, writ petition has been filed, wherein direction for payment of monetary compensation has been passed payable with effect from the date of application. 8.
The writ petitioner has approached to the authority by filing an application on 06.11.2002 for disbursement of monetary compensation but having not been disbursed, writ petition has been filed, wherein direction for payment of monetary compensation has been passed payable with effect from the date of application. 8. This Court on the basis of the discussion made hereinabove and considering the fact that there is no stipulation made in the National Coal Wage Agreement-V that monetary compensation will be paid from the date of application, as has been discussed above, it can safely be construed that the monetary compensation would be paid from the date of cause of action i.e., on the date of death of deceased employee. Further, there cannot be any addition in the National Coal Wage Agreement-V at the end of the respondents-authorities making the monetary compensation payable from the date of application. 9. In absence of any such stipulation made in the National Coal Wage Agreement-V as under Clause-9.5.0, we are of the view that the appellant-writ petitioner is entitled to get the monetary compensation from the date of death of her husband i.e., the deceased employee with effect from 11.04.1996 and as such, the order passed by the learned Single Judge to the effect holding therein the appellant-writ petitioner entitle for monetary compensation with effect from the date of application, is not sustainable in the eye of law. 10. Accordingly, that part of the order is, hereby quashed and set aside. 11. In the result, the instant appeal is allowed. 12. The respondent-B.C.C.L. is directed to disburse the monetary compensation calculating it from the date of death i.e., with effect from 11.04.1996 which shall be paid in favour of the appellant-writ petitioner within the period of three months’ from the date of receipt of copy of the order.