Allegations of illegal appointments of five employees at Gorewada International Zoo have surfaced, along with claims that the legal rights of other staff members are being violated and they are facing exploitation. According to a media report, Sunil Gautam, Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Kamgar Mahasangh, has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, demanding a judicial inquiry into the matter.
According to the petition, five individuals—Abhijit Pashine (Legal and Accounts Manager), Arjun Tyagi (Project Manager), Deepak Sawant (General Curator), Amit Zhurmure (Accounts Assistant), and Abhijit Sonone (Storekeeper)—were allegedly appointed illegally without following the required legal procedures. These individuals were initially hired by a private agency contracted by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM). However, after the agency’s contract ended and it exited the project, the employees were allegedly absorbed into the zoo’s staff without adhering to due process. Gautam has also alleged that several regular employees continue to face exploitation within the organization.
Initially, there were no Provident Fund (PF) deductions for regular employees at the Gorewada International Zoo. Deductions only began in June 2019, following the launch of an investigation. Despite this, several essential employee rights and benefits remain unaddressed. These include ESIC coverage, issuance of muster cards, regularisation of employment, provision of uniforms and ID cards, payment of dearness allowance, timely salary disbursal (by the 5th of every month), 8-hour work shifts, and the preparation of a seniority list. Gautam stated that repeated representations were made to resolve these issues, but they were ignored by the concerned authorities.
Court seeks response from authorities
The matter came up for hearing on Friday before Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Vrushali Joshi at the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. The court issued notices to the Secretary of the Forest Department, the Managing Director of the Maharashtra Forest Development Corporation, the Divisional Manager of Gorewada Zoo, and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. They have been directed to submit their responses to the allegations raised in the petition by April 29. Advocates Pratik Sharma and Sayali Kulkarni appeared on behalf of the petitioner.
Key demands in petition
A report on the illegal appointments of the five employees and the salaries paid to them since April 24, 2019, should be obtained.
A judicial inquiry should be conducted by a retired High Court judge, and criminal charges should be filed against the responsible officials.
Strict action should be taken against those exploiting other employees, and affected staff should be granted their rightful entitlements.