North Eastern Karnataka R.T. Corpn vs Ashappa

The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Karnataka High Court regarding the dismissal of a conductor for unauthorized absence, affirming that the Labour Court's finding of misconduct was justified under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The Court noted that while the Labour Court had reinstated the employee, it was reasonable to deny back wages for the period of dismissal due to the prolonged unauthorized absence. The Court held that the punishment imposed was not disproportionate to the misconduct, thus dismissing the appeal.