Karnataka High Court Upholds Order Reinstating Absent KPTCL Employee

The Karnataka High Court on Friday has upheld the order of a single judge reinstating a Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited employee who was dismissed from the service for being absent for a total of 632 days owing to depression.

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The court upheld the contention of S Kiran (35) that it was only because of work stress that he was absent and not to cause any inconvenience to the employer. A division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit in its recent judgment stated, "There may come a point that the 'stressors' encountered in the workplace lead to the inability to function in a work environment. A decision to lay an employee off work, with or without just cause, may well escalate the level of depression." The judges stated, "Distress and depression are the byproducts of modern life, whichever be the calling.&nb