Bhubaneswar, July 7 -- A Division Bench of the Orissa High Court ruled that an employee cannot be dismissed for failing to disclose criminal cases if they had no prior knowledge of the legal proceedings. Upholding a Single Judge's decision, the bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Murahari Sri Raman dismissed an appeal filed by the employer.

According to Livelaw, the verdict confirmed the reinstatement of a female worker with full consequential benefits.

The Division Bench relied on landmark Supreme Court rulings, including Avtar Singh v. Union of India and Pawan Kumar v. Union of India. The judges observed that while character verification is a significant employment criterion, any non-disclosure must concern a "mat...