Dear All,
Please find herewith Government Circular dated 10.10.2014 declaring Paid Holiday on Assembly Election day in Maharashtra.
Please also find below a Text of Circular dated 09.10.2014 by Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry on said subject.
To:
ALL MEMBERS IN MAHARASHTRA:
Sub: Assembly Elections in Maharashtra – 15th October, 2014
Elections to various Assembly Constituencies in Maharashtra will be held on Wednesday, 15th October, 2014.
Members are informed that the Representation of People Act, 1951 was amended in the year 1996 by the Representation of People (Amendment) Act, 1996 by insertion of a new Section 135-B providing for grant of a paid holiday to employees on the day of poll. The relevant section is reproduced overleaf for the information of Members. In view of the insertion of
Section 135-B and subject to sub-section 4 thereof, it is now necessary for employers in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishments to grant a paid holiday to employees who are entitled to vote at the election. It is not compulsory for any Company to keep its establishment/s closed on the election day.
The Government of Maharashtra has, in the past, issued notifications declaring the days of elections to be holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
Members may please note that the Representation of People Act, 1951, being a Central enactment, would be binding insofar as the applicability of Section 135-B to all persons employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishments for the purpose of granting a paid holiday on the day of election.
Every employee, entitled to vote, will be eligible to avail of a paid holiday on the day of polling in the Constituency in which he is entitled to exercise his franchise.
Such of the employees who fall within the ambit of Sub-section-4 of Section 135-B will not be entitled to a paid holiday. However, they will be required to be given suitable time off to exercise their franchise.
Employees may be asked to intimate their Department Heads, the place and date on which they are eligible to vote to enable them to appropriately avail of the paid holiday.
Section 135-B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 : Grant of paid holiday to employees on the day of polling – (inserted by Act 21 of 1996 with effect from 1st August, 1996)
Every person employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment and entitled to vote at an election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of a State shall, on the day of poll, be granted a holiday.
No deduction or abatement of the wages of any such person shall be made on account of a holiday having been granted in accordance with sub-section (I) and if such person is employed on the basis that he would not ordinarily receive wages for such a day, he shall nonetheless be paid for such day the wages he would have drawn had not a holiday been granted to him on that day.
If an employer contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), then such employer shall be punishable with fine which may extend to Rs.500/-.
This section shall not apply to any elector whose absence may cause danger or substantial loss in respect of the employment in which he is engaged.