Man finally sacked after not showing up at work for 24 years

Engineer A K Verma has not returned to work since December 1990.

17:52 09 January 2015

Engineer A K Verma, who has not returned to work since December 1990, has been finally sacked. He was fired two years later after an inquiry found him guilty of “willful absence from duty.”

The assistant executive engineer originally went on leave in 1990 after joining India’s central public works department (CPWD) a decade earlier.

However, it took another two decades to actually dismiss him.

In a statement, the government said: "He went on seeking extension of leave, which was not sanctioned, and defied directions to report to work.”

India’s labour laws make it extremely difficult to dismiss employees for any reason other than criminal misconduct. However, some states have changed the law to make it easier for employers to hire and fire their staff members. This move, although welcomed by industry leaders, was strongly opposed by labour unions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, offered a solution against rampant absenteeism by making New Delhi bureaucrats to sign in at work using a fingerprint scanner with the results available in real time online.