Punjab & Haryana High Court Upholds Labour Court Order Refusing Amendment; Says Employer Cannot Repeatedly Seek Same Relief at Final Stage
Case Name: Hero Motocorp Ltd. vs. Presiding Officer, Labour Court, Rohtak & Another
Date of Judgment: 01 December 2025
Citation: CR-8702-2025
Bench: Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Mandeep Pannu
Held: The Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed Hero Motocorp’s challenge to the Labour Court’s refusal to allow an amendment to its written statement, holding that the employer had already pursued an identical amendment earlier and could not revive the same request at the stage of final arguments. The Court held that the Labour Court’s reasoning was sound, non-perverse, and required no interference under Article 227.
Summary: The dispute before the Labour Court was at an advanced stage when the employer moved an application seeking to amend its written statement to incorporate the workman’s date of superannuation. The Court noted that the same amendment had been sought earlier and was rejected. Despite this, the employer attempted again to introduce the plea, claiming it was essential to determining the consequences of the award. The Labour Court declined the amendment, observing that the proceedings had been pending for over a decade, evidence was complete, and the issue raised was legal in nature and could be addressed during final arguments without altering the pleadings.
Before the High Court, the employer argued that the superannuation date was a material fact requiring formal incorporation. The Court rejected the submission, holding that successive amendment applications at the brink of conclusion were impermissible and clearly aimed at delaying adjudication. Since the Labour Court had already allowed the employer to raise the argument without formally amending the pleadings, no prejudice was shown.
Decision: The High Court affirmed the Labour Court’s order and dismissed the revision petition, holding that there was neither jurisdictional error nor perversity warranting intervention. The employer remains free to advance its submissions on the workman’s retirement date at the stage of final arguments, as permitted by the Labour Court.