Karnataka high court upholds reinstatement of KPTCL employee suffering from depression
Bengaluru, Nov 2: The High Court of Karnataka has upheld the order of a single judge reinstating a Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) employee who was dismissed from service for being absent for a total of 632 days owing to depression.
The court upheld the contention of S Kiran (35) that it was only because of work stress that he was absent and not to cause any inconvenience to the employer.
A division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit in its recent judgment said, “There may come a point that the ‘stressors’ encountered in the workplace lead to the inability to function in a work environment. A decision to lay an employee off work, with or without just cause, may well escalate the level of depression.” Kiran of Hassan was employed as a Station Attendant (Grade II) on a permanent basis in January 2008.
The judges said, “Distress and depressions are the by-products of modern life, whichever be the calling. Stress is the product of the psychological or emotional pressure that we experience both in our personal and occupational lives. Often it is difficult to insulate the stress, and to determine its impact on day-to-day activities.” A single judge bench had earlier ordered his reinstatement which was challenged by the KPTCL through an appeal.
“The respondent workman has specifically stated that he was undergoing a serious distress of mind and as a consequence, was not able to evince interest in the accomplishment of the job. That is why he had remained absent with no culpable intent to cause any inconvenience to the employer,” the HC noted.
It remarked that the KPTCL being the state enterprise should be a model employer and not act like an agency of the colonial regime.
"The appellant being an entity under Article 12 of the Constitution of India, has to conduct itself as a model employer; that is how a Welfare State should be; it has to treat its employees with fairness & empathy; by that, it wins the heart of workforce and that eventually results in increased productivity.
Otherwise, where would we locate the line that demarcates a Welfare State and a Colonial Regime?” the HC asked dismissing the appeal.
Citing a judgment of a US court, the HC said, “Constitutions are intended to preserve practical and substantial rights, not to maintain theories,” and refused to interfere in the single-judge order.
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Karnataka makes teenage pregnancies audit mandatory
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Tuesday issued an order mandating an audit of all adolescent pregnancy cases across the state, aiming to systematically track, review and address the underlying causes of pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 18 years.
The order makes adolescent pregnancy audit mandatory by the Taluk Health Officer (THO) for all pregnancies occurring among girls aged 10 to 18 years across the state.
The move is intended to strengthen early identification, counselling and preventive interventions by integrating efforts across health, education and social welfare departments, while leveraging existing programmes such as the National Health Mission (NHM) and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK).
“Adolescent pregnancy remains a significant public health and social concern with implications for maternal health, neonatal outcomes, and socio-economic development,” the order said.
It noted that pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 18 years are associated with increased risks of maternal complications, adverse birth outcomes, school dropout and social vulnerability.
According to the order, all adolescent pregnancies identified in the state must be compulsorily reported by both government and private healthcare institutions on the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) platform.
The audit framework will examine multiple socio-medical factors, including age at marriage, educational status, awareness of reproductive health, access to contraception, and family vulnerabilities.
It will also assess linkages with schemes such as RKSK, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and school health programmes to identify service delivery gaps.
At the Taluk level, a dedicated audit committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of the Taluk Health Officer. Its members will be drawn from primary health centres, field health staff, Anganwadi services and schools.
The government further directed that counselling services, including those through Sneha Centres, access to contraceptives, and targeted outreach to vulnerable adolescent groups—such as school dropouts, migrants and socially disadvantaged households—must be strengthened.
“The audit shall examine age at marriage, educational status, awareness on reproductive health, access to contraception and counselling services, socio-economic and family vulnerabilities,” the order said.
The order mandates strict confidentiality in handling all cases, in compliance with child protection laws, while also ensuring adherence to legal reporting requirements.
