Rodrigo vs Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau – sllr 2020 volume 2 page 168

In the case between W.K.P.I. Rodrigo (Employee-Appellant) and Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (Employer-Respondent), the court addressed whether section 31B(5) of the Industrial Disputes Act precludes a workman from seeking relief in a Labour Tribunal after filing a fundamental rights application in the Supreme Court. It was held that the remedies sought in the two proceedings were distinct in nature, with the Labour Tribunal application arising from a private employment dispute and the fundamental rights petition concerning public law issues. The court determined that dismissal of the Labour Tribunal proceeding solely due to the prior fundamental rights application was incorrect, and ordered a rehearing of the Labour Tribunal application. The principle reaffirmed was that parallel