The Delhi High Court, on 1^st June 2021, in the case of LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION EMPLOYEES UNION NZ v REGIONAL MANAGER E AND OS LIC OF INDIA held that the LIC should consider that the COVID 19 is an infectious disease and they should allow their members to avail themselves with quarantine leaves. The plea was filed by the LIC employees to include the name of the COVID 19 disease under the provision list of “Quarantine Leave” under the Life Insurance Corporation of India (Staff) Regulations, 1960.

After hearing the plea the court directed the Life Insurance Corporation of India to treat the said writ petition with high regard and it must be disposed off within a period of 4 weeks and the communication of the same decision should be made to the union of petitioners.

A similar case was observed in the Karnataka High Court last year where the court issued directions to the state government to undertake appropriate steps under the Disaster Management Act in order to protect the working men who were forced to undergo to Quarantine due to the infections caused by the Coronavirus and their leave from the workplace shall not be treated as a leave but rather the company should provide the worker with quarantine leave for some days so the State executive committee under the Act can issue the directions under the Act.

– Animesh Raizada, Intern – POSHequili