1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY : NAGPUR BENCH : N A G P U R. WRIT PETITION No. 1321 OF 2009 Deputy Engineer, Public Works Department, P.W. Sub Division, Tirora, District Gondia. ... PETITIONER. -VERSUS - !. Labour Court, Bhandara. 2. Harischandra Gujoba Ukey, r/o Bhootnath Ward, Tirora, Distt. Gondia. ... RESPONDENTS. .... Mr. V.P. Marpakwar Advocate for the Petitioner. Mr. J.B. Jaiswal, AGP, for Respondent no.1. Mr. R.A. Gupte Advocate for the Respondent no.2. .... CORAM : A.B. CHAUDHARI, J. DATE : 4 th AUGUST, 2009. ORAL JUDGMENT : This writ petition is directed against the judgment and Award dated 31.1.2002 made by the Labour Court, Bhandara, directing 2 reinstatement of respondent no.2 along with continuity of service and full back wages. Perusal of para 10 of the writ petition shows that the petitioner pursuant to the said order reinstated respondent no.2 in 2002 itself. There is a further averment that respondent no.2 assured the petitioner that he will not press the claim for back wages awarded by the Labour Court, and acting on that assurance the petitioner did not file petition in this Court for over a period of seven years. It appears that when respondent no.2 started pressing for recovery of full back wages, the petitioner suddenly got up and filed this petition. The reasons furnished in para 10 of the writ petition for filing the petition after seven years are not at all convincing. No document has been placed on record to show that respondent no.2 agreed to waive back wages. It clearly appears to be negligence on the part of the concerned officer in not putting to challenge the Award within reasonable time and now such reason is projected which does not convince me. Petition is belated and suffers from laches and lapses. The conduct of the petitioner in reinstating respondent no.2 immediately after the Award disentitles the petitioner from pressing this petition. Petition is therefore dismissed. No costs. JUDGE