In Brief
M/s Bharat Coking Coal Ltd terminated 38 workmen appointed as miners/loaders, alleging their appointments in 1986 were fraudulent—obtained outside the mandatory Employment Exchange procedure through collusion with officials. The Industrial Tribunal and Division Bench reinstated them. The Supreme Court allowed the management's appeal, holding that public employment procured by fraud and misrepresentation cannot be validated. The workmen's contradictory pleadings about how they were appointed proved consciousness of wrongdoing. Courts must protect statutory recruitment procedures and legitimate beneficiaries of social welfare schemes from fraudulent manipulation.
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