UPENDRA CHANDRA CHAKRABORTY AND ANR. vs UNITED BANK OF INDIA

The Supreme Court held that the bonus received by the appellants did not qualify as a customary bonus under Section 33-C(2) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, as it lacked the legal characteristics of a customary bonus. The Court applied the tests established in Vegetable Products Ltd. v. Their Workmen, 1965 (1) LLJ 468, concluding that the bonus was not paid uniformly, was related to profits, and was not established as a right over time. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed, affirming the Labour Court's decision that no legal right to a customary bonus existed.