Unexpected Service Agreement: How Should I Handle a Surprise Demand for Payment?

Please help me and suggest. I joined an MNC for one day, and due to a family problem, I sent a resignation email to the recruitment team manager the next day, stating that I am not able to continue my work for the company.

After 7-8 months, I received a letter from the company stating that there is an outstanding amount of 1.4 lakh Rs. Today, while going through their offer letter, I discovered a service agreement of 12 months, which I was not aware of. Please suggest what I should do now.

Thanks

It is the duty of an HR Recruiter to discuss with the candidate the terms of service as contained in the offer letter. It is always wise to read and understand the content of your offer letter before you sign and accept it. This is why all good MNCs give you the time to go through the contents of the offer letter and get your doubts cleared before signing it. But it seems that here you have put yourself into big trouble.

Understanding Bond Validity

The validity of the bond depends on various factors. Please do a search on the forum to understand why and when a bond is valid.

If the bond is valid, then you need to approach them for a resolution. If the bond is not valid, then you need to reply and tell them so.

Of course, you need to decide whether you will even bother to reply, which depends on what action the employer is likely to take in the future on this.

Legal Actions by Employers in India

Can anybody tell me what kind of legal action an employer can take? I was reading somewhere in blogs where I found that, as per Indian law, an employer can at most stop the relieving letter; they can't do anything else. Is it correct?

Liability After Resignation

Also, please help me understand: when I have resigned from my post and they accepted, am I still liable to pay them?

You don't seem to have paid attention to my post . Do a search for similar posts on this forum. You will get details of what makes a bond valid. If the bond is valid, the company is at full liberty to file a case against you (civil case, it is not a criminal liability) and pursue the matter to its logical conclusion. If the bond is not valid, they cannot get any remedy. In either case, I do not believe the Section 138 case is valid as the cheque was not given for any goods purchased or for any services delivered.