M A I N   N E W S

SC rejects plea for review of ruling on govt staff strike
Our Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, September 24
The Supreme Court today declined to grant permission to an association of NGOs from Kerala to file review petition against its judgement holding that government employees have no fundamental right to strike.

A Bench comprising Mr Justice M. B. Shah and Mr Justice A. R. Lakhsmanan, which had given the judgement on August 6, rejected the request of the Kerala NGOs Association (KNA) that it be granted permission to file a review petition against the judgement.

As per the rule, the review petition has to be moved before the same Bench, which had passed the judgement.

The KNA in its petition had sought the review of the judgement on the ground that the ruling is against the Industrial Dispute Tribunal Act and the international covenant on workers right, and would have far reaching implications.

The court had given its verdict while disposing of a bunch of petitions on behalf of some political organisations and employees unions in Tamil Nadu, challenging the state government’s decision removing nearly 1.70 lakh employees for taking part in the strike in July, which had been declared illegal by the authorities.

Meanwhile, agitated over the Supreme Court’s verdict on employees right to strike, leaders and activists of central trade unions, excluding the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), will deliberate here on Friday to finalise an action plan including a day’s nation-wide token strike.