Pune: Symbiosis to reinstate unvaccinated employees who were asked to go on unpaid leave

The Symbiosis Society, Pune, assured the Bombay High Court on Friday that it will reinstate one of its employees who was asked to go on unpaid leave till he produced a Covid-19 vaccine certificate and reimburse his dues. Symbiosis also informed the court that it will review its Covid-19 vaccination mandate for employees.

A vacation bench of Justices AK Menon and NR Borkar accepted Symbiosis’ statement. While disposing of the petition, the HC has also asked the society to consider paying compensation to the employee from the month of January to date.

Symbiosis made the statement during the hearing of a petition filed by Subrata Mazumdar, an employee at Symbiosis Centre for International Education (SCIE), challenging a communication issued by the society early this year asking employees, asking unvaccinated employees to go on unpaid leave till they produce vaccine certificates.

Seeking to declare society’s action as illegal, Mazumdar, who had joined the institution in 2005 and is working as a supervisor, said that vaccination cannot be made mandatory.

His plea contended that he and a few other employees had received an email from the director of Symbiosis Society, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), seeking compliance with Covid-19 vaccination norms.

Mazumdar, responded to the email saying that he could not get vaccinated due to personal health conditions.

The employees once again received an email on January 20 from the human resources department of the university asking them to go on leave without pay with immediate effect till they provide evidence of vaccination.

Following this, Mazmudar filed a petition in the HC seeking that he be reinstated and the communication dated January 20 was declared illegal and unconstitutional. Mazumdar had added the university director and dean of administration and academics as respondents in his petition.