The order, dated 19-9-1984 recorded by the learned Presiding Officer, Punjab Labour Court No. 1, Lahore has been challenged, whereby the grievance petition of the appellant for setting aside the order of suspension for 28 days in total has been dismissed.
2. The appellant was served with a charge-sheet and simultaneously suspended for four days. The order of suspension was extended on the expiry of every four days. The appellant remained under suspension for a total period of 28 days. It has been argued that an employee can be suspended for the purpose of inquiry and as no inquiry was held after service of charge-sheet, the order of suspension is liable to be set aside. On the other hand it has been argued by the learned counsel for the respondent that since the suspension orders were for four days at a stretch and the total period did not exceed four weeks, the orders are legal. So has been held by the learned lower Court.
The matter does not end with the expiry of four weeks. Some final order has to be passed with regard to the charges levelled against the employee. If reply to the charge-sheet is found satisfactory, the matter is to be dropped and the employee is allowed full wages for the suspension period minus what he has got as subsistence allowance. If he is found guilty after holding inquiry, some punishment is to be passed and finding given with regard to the suspension. It has not been shown if some final order one way or the other has been passed. The learned lower Court should have directed the respondent to pass some final orders.
3. As a result, the appeal is accepted and setting aside the impugned decision of the learned lower Court, the respondent is directed to pass some final order with regard to the charges levelled against the appellant.