In Brief
A Staff Nurse was dismissed after a Tahasildar found her caste certificate invalid, though she relied on it to secure employment in a reserved category. The Tahasildar lacked authority; the competent Caste Verification Committee later cleared her. The Courts awarded 50% back wages. The Supreme Court partly allowed the appeal, enhancing back wages to 75%, holding that where an employee is entirely blameless and the employer's decision rested on an invalid authority's report, denying vindication's fruits is unfair. The 'no work no pay' principle admits exceptions based on case-specific justice considerations.
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