Right to salary for service under an interim order upheld; paid wages for that period cannot be recovered.

Employees who actually rendered service under an interim order were held entitled to salary for that period, because denying payment for work already done was treated as begar prohibited by Article 23 of the Constitution. The Court also held that any salary already paid for the period of such service could not be recovered.

---

---

Issues: Whether the appellants were entitled to salary for the period during which they rendered services under the interim order, and whether any salary already paid for that period could be recovered.

Analysis: The appellants had actually served pursuant to the interim order. Denial of salary for work already rendered was treated as amounting to begar, which is prohibited under Article 23 of the Constitution of India. On that basis, the appellants were held entitled to be paid salary for the period of service rendered under the interim arrangement. The Court also clarified that if salary for that period had already been paid, it was not to be recovered.

Conclusion: The appellants were held entitled to salary for the period of service rendered under the interim order, and any salary already paid for that period was protected from recovery.

---