In a recent judgment, the Delhi High Court held that once the previous employer has relieved an employee, the new employer can’t refuse to issue a new appointment letter to the employee if the employee has cleared the selection process.
The ruling delivered by a single-judge bench of Justice Jyoti Singh could ease the process of resigning and transferring to a new organization. In this context, it has been made clear by the Court that as soon as a resignation is formally accepted by an employer, the new company should not be under any obligation for that particular employee.
Why in the News?
Facts of the Case:
- The case of Matthew Johnson Dara vs Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd, deals with a finance executive who was offered the position of General Manager (Finance) at Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corp. (BVFCL). He was inducted into the company on April 28, 2023. Later, in January 2024, he filled in his application for and got appointed into the position of Vice President (Finance) in a different organization.
- He was given a position offer and instructed to report to work by the 5th day of the month of July, in the year 2024.
- After receiving a job offer on 7th June 2024, he resigned from BVFCL and asked to be relieved in 15 days since there was a provision for no notice for persons still on probation.
- It is pertinent to mention that instead of accepting her resignation, BVFCL issued a memorandum to the petitioner on June 15, 2024, informing him that his services were effective from April 28, 2024, and hence her service stood confirmed.
- Following a series of exchanges of messages, the employee attempted to settle the matter by adjusting the balance against leave entitlements or proposing to serve a one-month notice period.
- Meanwhile, he began working for the new organization on July 8, 2024, with the agreement that he will tender his relieving letter from BVFCL within a month. Nevertheless, on July 12, 2024, the new company served him with a show-cause letter claiming that he had joined it without obtaining a no objection from the previous employer.
- This prompted him to seek the intervention of the Guwahati High Court which on July 18, 2024, issued an interim order restraining any further action against him.
- The story changed when BVFCL eventually permitted him to resign on Oct. 3, 2024, which he did after he moved to the Delhi High Court and filed a writ petition. The issue was more about whether revoking his appointment from the new company for failing to provide the relieving letter from BVFCL was warranted.
Observations by the Court
- As per the employee's promise to provide the relieving letter within 30 days of joining, the court noted that the employee's inability to provide one from BVFCL was the sole cause for canceling his employment. In addition, it was observed that the employee had been released from employment by BVFCL w.e.f. October 3, 2024, which means the basis for the order ceases to exist and the employee has no impediment to joining the respondent.
- The court further noted that the defendant has not started a new hiring procedure for the position in question, therefore it remains open for the employee to return to. The court revoked the contested order issued by the respondent on August 19, 2024.
The court ruled that the defendant must allow the employee to return to the position of Vice President (Finance) within a week, along with all associated benefits. The writ petition was granted based on the previously mentioned observations.
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