Margao: The Supreme Court (SC) in a recent judgment has decided not to ‘interfere’ with a High Court order to pay pending dues to former employees of the Madgaum Urban Cooperative Bank (MUCB) and dismissing the petition for special leave to appeal that was filed by the bank, which has since started the process of liquidation.

The revision in pay scale of around nine employees was kept on hold after a trade union dispute which saw them join a new trade union. The employees had challenged the bank’s decision in the labour court in 2010 which had ordered the bank to pay the arrears.

The bank had however approached the High Court in 2017, which had also subsequently ruled in favour of the employees. The bank then appealed against the High Court order in 2017, and after nearly six years, the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court order.

The Supreme Court in its order stated that the bank had “apprised this court that the official liquidator has been appointed in respect of the petitioner and it is also his submission that he is yet to be instructed by the official liquidator. But so far as legality of the judgment assailed in this petition is concerned, that factor is of no consequence. The learned counsel appearing for the respondents submitted that certain sums of money has already been deposited with the High Court. We are not making any comment in that regard. On going through the judgment assailed in this petition, we do not find any reason to interfere with the same.”