Karnataka HC reinstates cop suspended for napping; says 'work-life balance' important
The court said responsibility falls on employer not to impose excessive working hours on their employees or else exhaustion is inevitable
The Karnataka high court has set aside a suspension order of a constable, who had been caught napping during a 16-hour work shift, on the grounds that employees in any organisation must have 'work-life balance'.
In his order, Justice M Nagaprasanna, underscoring the importance of work-life balance said,“If an employee is forced to work beyond legally permitted hours, exhaustion is inevitable. Penalizing the petitioner for a brief nap under such extreme conditions is unfair.”
The 10-minute nap
The constable was on duty at the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC)'s Kukunoor depot in Koppal division working on double shifts for 60 days without a break due to a staff shortage at the KKRTC.
In April 2024, videos of Chandrasekhar napping while on duty went viral.
A vigilance report on April 23, 2024 recommended that Chandrashekhar was remiss in his duties and was found sleeping at work in one of the transport corporation's depots. In July 2024, the KKRTC suspended Chandrashekhar.
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Hearing his petition, Karnataka judge M Nagaprasanna overturned the constable’s suspension, saying that the suspension order issued by the KKRTC was 'unjust'.
The judge said that the constable had been working 16-hour shifts every day for 60 consecutive days without a single break. Sleep and rest are fundamental rights that are recognised by the Constitution as well as by International Labour Laws, he added.
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Chandrasekhar, a Karnataka State Transport constable has been serving in Koppal since 2016. He contested his suspension arguing that the prolonged working hours he was subjected to made him sleep-deprived.
KKRTC argues Constable’s irresponsibility
Meanwhile, the KKRTC attempted to make an argument that the video of the sleeping constable has tarnished its reputation. This was quashed by the court which said that the responsibility lies in the hands of the employer who should not have imposed such excessive work hours.
The court additionally noted that the Vigilance Department that filed the initial report against the constable had also flagged that the depot was severely understaffed with only three constables. The department had suggested that they hire two more constables to lessen the workload of the existing employees.
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The court stressed that according to labour laws employees are mandated to follow 8-hour working days and a 48-hour working week, barring exceptional cases.
The Karnataka HC called Chandrasekhar’s suspension unjust and said it was ‘lacking good faith’, granting the constable his job back along with its benefits including back-pay and to continue his service in the state transport corporation.