EXTRACTSFROM PI

Lfi
ledApr
il16,
2020

I
NTHESUPREMECOURTOFI
NDI
A

CI
VILORI
GINALJURI
SDI
CTI
ON

WRI
TPETI
TION(
CIVI
L)NO._
___
___OF2020

(
UnderAr
ti
cle32oft
heConst
it
uti
onofI
ndi
a)

(
Publ
i
cInt
erestLi
ti
gat
ion)

I
NTHEMATTEROF:

Nat
ional
All
i
anceofJour
nal
i
sts&Or
s. …Pet
it
ioner
s

Ver
sus

Uni
onofI
ndi
a&Or
s. …Respondent
s

(
Int
hiscaset
hePet
it
ionerNo1i
stheNat
ionalAl
l
ianceofJour
nal
i
sts

r
epr
esent
edbyi
tsPr
esi
dentShai
l
endr
aKumarPande,Pet
it
ionerNo2i
s

Del
hiUni
onofJour
nal
i
stsr
epr
esent
edbyi
tsGener
alSecr
etar
ySuj
ata

Madhokand Pet
it
ionerNo 3 i
sBr
ihanMumbaiUni
on ofJour
nal
i
sts

r
epr
esent
edbyi
tsSecr
etar
yIndr
aKumarJai
n.

TheRespondentNo1i
stheUni
onofI
ndi
arepr
esent
edbyt
heCabi
net

Secr
etar
y, Respondent No 2 i
s t
he I
ndi
an Newspaper Soci
ety

r
epr
esent
edbyi
tsPr
esi
dentShai
l
eshGupt
aandRespondentNo3i
sthe
 NewsBr
oadcast
ersAssoci
ati
onr
epr
esent
edbyi
tsPr
esi
dentRaj
at

Shar
ma.)

1.Thi
spubi
cint
erestl
i
tigat
ioni
sbei
ngf
il
edr
egar
dingt
hei
nhumanand

i
l
legalt
reat
mentbei
ngmet
edoutbyempl
oyer
stot
hei
rempl
oyeesand

wor
ker
sint
henewspaperand medi
asect
or,byi
ssui
ng t
ermi
nat
ion

not
ices,i
mposi
ngst
eepwagecut
suni
l
ater
all
y,sendi
ngwor
ker
sand

empl
oyeesoni
ndef
ini
teunpai
dleav
e,andsoon,t
aki
ngt
heexcuseof

t
henat
ion-
wide“
lockdown”i
mposedi
nli
ghtoft
hespr
eadofCOVI
D-19,

“
Cor
onav
irus”
.Sev
eralnewspaper
s,magazi
nes,onl
i
nemedi
aout
let
s,

andot
herempl
oyer
sint
hemedi
asect
orhav
erepor
tedl
ytakenst
eps

af
tert
heannouncementoft
henat
ion-
widel
ockdowni
nMar
ch2020t
o

r
etr
enchwor
ker
sandempl
oyees,i
mposewagecut
s,et
c.i
nspi
teof

adv
isor
iesi
ssuedbyt
heMi
nist
ryofLabour&Empl
oyment
,Gov
ernment

ofI
ndi
aandev
enappeal
sbyt
hePr
imeMi
nist
erofI
ndi
atonott
ermi
nat
e

t
heser
vicesorr
educet
hewagesoft
hei
rempl
oyees.

2.Fol
l
owi
ng i
sal
i
st of i
nst
ances of such act
ions by empl
oyer
s/

est
abl
i
shment
sint
henewspaper
/medi
asect
orsi
nce15.
3.2020:

a.I
ndi
anExpr
esshasaskedst
afft
otakesal
arycut
s

b.Busi
nessSt
andar
dhasaskedst
afft
otakesal
arycut
s

c.Out
lookhasst
oppedpr
intpubl
i
cat
ion.
 
 d.NewsNat
iont
ermi
nat
ed16Engl
i
shdi
git
alempl
oyees

e.Ti
mesofI
ndi
asackedt
heent
ir
eSundaymagazi
net
eam 

f
.Ar
ound45member
soft
he200-
str
ongQui
ntt
eam hasbeen

askedt
ogoonl
eav
ewi
thoutpayandt
henon-
compet
ecl
ausei
n

t
hei
rcont
ract
swer
ewai
ved

g.Hamar
aMahanagar
,Hi
ndinewspaperf
rom Mumbai
,shutdown

onMar
ch18ci
ti
ng'
poorbusi
nessv
iabi
l
ity
'.
 

h.Bl
oomber
gQui
ntemai
l
edst
afft
osayt
her
ewi
l
lbeast
eepsal
ary

cutf
orApr
il
.It‘
expect
stor
esumet
henor
malsal
arycy
clef
rom

May
’butmakesnoment
ionofmaki
ngupt
hel
ostsal
aryf
orApr
il
.

i
.SakalTi
mes,t
heMar
athinewspaper
,begani
ts‘
downsi
zi
ng’a

weekbef
oret
hel
ockdown.Atl
east15empl
oyees,f
iveeachi
n

desi
gnandspor
ts,f
ouri
nthenewsbur
eau,andonei
nfeat
ures,

wer
etol
dtosubmi
tthei
rresi
gnat
ionsandl
eav
ebyMar
ch31.

3.I
nthebackdr
opoft
hel
ockdown,t
hemedi
aindust
ryhasef
fect
edj
ob

l
ossesandwagescut
swi
thi
mpuni
ty.Medi
ahouseshav
esummar
il
y

shutdown,i
nvi
olat
ionoft
heI
ndust
ri
alDi
sput
esAct
,1947.Despi
tet
he

adv
isor
ies ment
ioned abov
e and l
egal pr
ovi
si
ons t
hat di
sal
l
ow

r
etr
enchment
s,t
ermi
nat
ions or ev
en suspensi
on and cl
osur
e of

publ
i
cat
ionswi
thoutduepr
ocess,medi
acompani
eshav
egoneahead
 wi
tht
hesemeasur
es,unmi
ndf
uloft
hef
actt
hat
,inal
ockdownofsuch

ani
ncr
edi
blemagni
tudepeopl
ecanbar
elymov
eout
,leav
eal
onegoj
ob-

hunt
ing.
 

4.Accor
dingt
oar
epor
tti
tl
ed“
NewsNat
ionl
aysof
fit
sent
ir
eEngl
i
sh

di
git
alt
eam of15”publ
i
shedbyonl
i
nenewspor
talNewsl
aundr
yon

13.
4.2020,NewsNat
ion Net
wor
kabr
upt
lyl
aid of
fit
sent
ir
eEngl
i
sh

di
git
alt
eam of15empl
oyeeswi
thoutgi
vi
ngt
hem not
iceoft
ermi
nat
ion

orbei
ngal
l
owedt
oser
vet
hei
rnot
iceper
iod.Thi
swasi
nvi
olat
ionof

t
hei
rter
msofempl
oymentandappoi
ntmentl
ett
ers.

5.Accor
ding t
o anot
her r
epor
t publ
i
shed by onl
i
ne news por
tal

Newsl
aundr
y on 13.
4.2020,t
it
led “
The Qui
ntsends 45 st
aff
ers on

i
ndef
ini
tel
eav
ewi
thoutpay
,ToIl
aysof
f3f
rom Sundaymagazi
ne”
,

Di
git
alnewswebsi
te 
“TheQui
nt”
 hasaskedabout45empl
oyees 
togo

onani
ndef
ini
tel
eav
ewi
thoutpay
. 
Theaf
fect
edempl
oyeeswi
l
lbepai
d

hal
fthei
rsal
ari
esf
ort
hemont
hofApr
il
.Theunpai
dleav
ewi
l
lst
artf
rom

Apr
il15.Si
mil
arl
y Ti
,“ mesLi
fe”
,a Sundaysuppl
ementpr
oduced by

t Ti
he  mesofI
ndi
a,hasaskedatl
eastt
hreeofi
tsempl
oyeest
oleav
e.

Ret
renchmenti
nvi
olat
ionofI
ndust
ri
alDi
sput
esAct
,1947andWor
king

Jour
nal
ist
sAct
,1955
6.The r
etr
enchment of empl
oyees/
wor
ker
s by est
abl
i
shment
s and

empl
oyer
sint
hemedi
asect
ori
nthef
ashi
ondescr
ibedabov
eisi
n

v
iol
ati
onofSect
ions25Nand25Ooft
heI
ndust
ri
alDi
sput
esAct
,1947

and Sect
ion 16A oft
he Wor
king Jour
nal
i
sts and Ot
herNewspaper

Empl
oyees(
Condi
ti
onsofSer
vice)andMi
scel
l
aneousPr
ovi
si
onsAct
,

1955.

(
THESEARGUMENTSAREFURTHERELABORATEDI
N THEPETI
TION,

det
ail
snotgi
venher
e)

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PRAYERS

1.I
nvi
ew oft
hef
act
sandci
rcumst
ancesoft
hisPet
it
ion,t
hePet
it
ioner
s

pr
ay,
ther
efor
e,t
hatt
hisHon’
bleCour
tmaybepl
easedt
o:

(
a) I
ssue an appr
opr
iat
e wr
it
,di
rect
ion oror
derdi
rect
ing al
l

per
sonspubl
i
shi
ngnewspaper
sorengagedwi
thmedi
awor
k

i
ncl
udi
ngdi
git
almedi
aandempl
oyi
ngj
our
nal
i
stsandnon-

j
our
nal
i
stsf
ort
hispur
poset
otr
eatal
lter
minat
ionofser
vice

not
ices i
ssued,r
esi
gnat
ion f
rom ser
vices r
ecei
ved f
rom

empl
oyees pur
suant t
oar
equest f
rom t
he empl
oyer
s

whet
heror
alori
nwr
it
ing,al
lwager
educt
ions,al
ldi
rect
ions
 t
o go on l
eav
e wi
thout pay
,taki
ng pl
ace af
ter t
he

announcement of t
he l
ockdown as suspended wi
th

i
mmedi
ateef
fectunt
ilf
urt
heror
der
s.

(
b) Fori
nter
imr
eli
efi
nter
msofpr
ayercl
ause(
a)

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