Lathika Pai has filed a case against Microsoft India, claiming she was forced to resign. The Delhi High Court has asked her to approach the Bengaluru court instead.
Lathika Pai, who earlier worked as a senior executive at Microsoft India, has filed a legal case against Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt Ltd and its top leadership.
She claims that she was wrongly pushed to resign from her position. Pai approached the Delhi High Court with her complaint, saying the company forced her exit in an unfair and unethical manner.
In her petition, Lathika Pai stated that her resignation was not voluntary and that she had been “coerced and forced to resign by the leadership of the company.” She also said that after giving 30 years to the corporate sector, she was treated in a way that was “humiliating, shocking, and demoralising.”
The Delhi High Court has now asked Lathika Pai to go to the Bengaluru civil court for this matter. The Court noted that since the employment and company records are based
in Bengaluru, the proper jurisdiction lies there.
The court said,
“The dispute is civil in nature and the appropriate remedy available with the petitioner is to institute a civil suit.”
Lathika Pai, in her petition, mentioned that
“the conduct of the Respondents was such that it left no option for the Petitioner but to tender her resignation, even though she was not willing to do so.”
She explained that her performance was always appreciated and even after getting a promotion in April 2023, things suddenly took a different turn.
She added that the way she was removed from the company
“was against the principles of natural justice and in violation of her fundamental rights.”
In her filing, she mentioned that this situation had affected her reputation and caused her mental distress.
She pointed out that
“the sudden turn of events leading to her resignation was not due to any fault or non-performance on her part.”
Instead, she claims that the company’s leadership treated her unfairly and did not follow proper procedures.
She also said,
“The resignation was taken under duress and is not valid in the eyes of law.”
The court, after hearing the matter, stated that it does not have jurisdiction to hear the case.
The bench noted that
“the petitioner’s employment was with the Bengaluru office of the company, and the events leading to the resignation also happened there.”
Based on this, the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea and gave liberty to Lathika Pai to move the appropriate court in Bengaluru.
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This legal move by a former senior woman executive of a global tech company has attracted attention, as it brings focus to employee rights, workplace ethics, and the legal remedies available in such cases.
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