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Judgment
 1. This petition had been filed way back in 2001 assailing an Award dated 3rd January, 2000 passed by the Industrial Tribunal, Rourkela (hereafter
the Tribunal) whereby the Opposite Parties-workmen were held entitled to get an annual bonus @ 20% during the accounting year 1994-95.
The principal grievance in the present petition was that the above Award was an ex parte one and further that there was an earlier settlement
pursuant to which the workmen had in fact been paid bonus as agreed to.
It is seen that this was in fact the second round of litigation. In an earlier round, this Court had on 26th October, 1998 passed an order in OJC
No.13607 of 1998 by this Petitioner, challenging a reference made on 9th June, 1998 by the Government of India of the above disputes for adjudication
to the Tribunal. In that order, while not being inclined to interfere, this Court had permitted the present Petitioner to raise all the points urged in the writ
petition before the Tribunal.
On 27th March, 2021 in the present petition, there was an interim order staying the impugned Award until further orders. That stay order has
continued for more than 20 years thereafter. On the previous date i.e. on 7th October, 2020 when none appeared for the Opposite Parties, fresh
notice was directed to issue to the General Secretary, North Orissa Workers’ Union. Today, none appears on their behalf.
Considering the long pendency of the present petition for over two decades, and the fact that the Petitioner had already agreed to pay the workemn
annual bonus for the year 1994-95 @ 16% and production incentive @ 2% (as averred in para 4 (a) of the present petition), the amount involved in the
implementation of the impugned Award (i.e. payment of bonus at 4% more just for one year) cannot be very substantial. Consequently, the Court is
not at this stage inclined to interfere with the impugned Award.
The writ petition is accordingly disposed of.
The interim order passed earlier stands vacated.
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