HC tells KSRTC pay OT allowance to driver

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday set aside the circular issued by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) in 2011 denying over-time allowance to the employees of the corporation.

Justice Krishna S Dixit was passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by G M Poovaiah, a driver of KSRTC. The court directed the state government to consider and grant the allowance to the petitioner within a period of eight weeks. The court said that the KSRTC managing director will have to pay Rs 20,000 in the event of delay in paying the petitioner.

The court observed that the plea for over-time in the job of driving had been rejected quoting the circular, which had neither the force of law nor jurisdiction and legal claim of an employee cannot be negatived by quoting such circular. Advocate MC Basavaraju argued for the petitioner.