Can We Deduct Unpaid Leave from Next Month's Salary if Taken Before Cut-off Date?

I have an employee who went on EL sometime in mid-February, which is before the cut-off date for salary calculation. The management has decided to treat the EL as unpaid leave, and my staff only deducted it from the end of March salary. Can we deduct the unpaid leave the following month? This is my question.

Normally, EL or any leave taken after the cut-off period for salary calculation will be deducted in the subsequent month. But in your case, the EL was taken before the cut-off period. Then why is it marked as loss of pay leave? I don't understand. If leave is not granted, deduct it in the month of taking itself since the leave was taken before the salary cut-off date. If it was taken after the cut-off date, deduct it in the month following. Can you make it clear?

The management has decided to treat the EL as unpaid leave. Has this decision been communicated to the employee?

General Principle on Leave Approval
Moreover, it is the general principle that while the employer (or the authority concerned) can deny the sanction of leave at its discretion based on the exigencies of the situation, it is not open to such authority to approve another type of leave other than the one applied for.

This aspect is all the more relevant in the instant case as the arbitrary decision has had civil consequences for the concerned employee.

It is equally crucial whether the decision has been communicated expeditiously to the employee so that he/she could have the opportunity to reconsider his/her request for availing leave.