1 D.B.Civil Special Appeal(Writ) No.623/2007 Gram Panchayat Manoharpura V/s Ashok Kumar Sharma 24.7.2008 Hon'ble the Chief Justice Mr.Narayan Roy Hon'ble Mr.Justice Mohammad Rafiq Mr.S.K.Gupta for the appellant. Mr.Suresh Kashyap for the respondent. Heard learned counsel for the parties both in limitation application and also on merit. This appeal is barred by one day. Delay accordingly is condoned. This appeal is directed against order dated 1st February, 2007 passed by the learned Single Judge of this Court in writ application no.6644/2004 whereby and whereunder application under section 17-B of the Industrial Disputes Act was disposed of directing the Management-appellant to pay last drawn wages not less than the statutory minimum wages from the date of award. It is submitted by learned counsel for the appellant that learned Single Judge of this Court was not justified in directing the Management- appellant to pay last wages drawn but not less than the statutory minimum wages from the date of award. The proper direction would have been to pay wages last drawn by the workman from the date of petition. Section 17-B of Industrial Disputes Act contemplates that in any case where labour court, tribunal by its award directs reinstatement of any workman and the employer prefers any proceedings against such award in High Court or Supreme Court, 2 the employer shall be liable to pay such workman, during the period of pendency of such proceedings in the High Court or the Supreme Court, full wages last drawn by him, inclusive of any maintenance allowance admissible to him under any rule if the workman had not been employed in any establishment during such period. On consideration of pleadings of the parties, the application under section 17B was disposed of by passing the directions as referred to above. The intent of Section 17B is to pay last wages drawn to the workman for his sustenance during the pendency of the proceedings. The learned Single Judge of this Court, in this view of the matter, would have directed for payment of last wages drawn by the concerned workman from the date of petition. The order impugned in this view of the matter is modified to the extent that the concerned workman-respondent shall be entitled to wages last drawn from the date of petition. With these observations and modifications, this appeal stands disposed of. (Mohammad Rafiq)J. (Narayan Roy)C.J. Parmar