Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
(1) Control of essential services.- If the Government are of opinion that any employment under the Government or any other employment or class of employment is essential for the purpose of securing public safety, the maintenance of public order or the maintenance, of supplies and services essential of the life of the community, they may, after notifying the employment or class of employment in the Gazette and publishing it in such other manner as they think fit, direct, by general or special order, that any person or persons engaged in such employment shall not depart out of such area or areas as may be specified in such order (2) An order made under sub-section (I) shall be published in such manner as the Government or officer or authority making the order may consider best calculated to bring it to the notice of the persons affected by the order. (3) Any person engaged in any employment or class of employment notified under sub-section (1) who- (a) disobeys any lawful order given to him in the course of such employment, or (b) without reasonable excuse abandons such employment or absents himself from work, or (c) departs from any, area specified, in an order under sub-section (1) without the consent of the authority making that order, and any employer of a person engaged in, an employment or class of employment notified under sub-section (1) who without reasonable cause - i. discontinues the employment of such person, or ii. by closing an establishment in which such person is engaged, cause the discontinuance of this employment shall be guilty of an offence under this section Explanation 1. Abandonment of employment or absence from duty by any person merely for fear of molestation, intimidation or assault by any person or class of persons shall not constitute, a reasonable excuse within the meaning of clause (b) Explanation 2. A person abandons his employment within the meaning of clause (b), who notwithstanding that it is an express or implied term of his contract of employment that he may terminate his employment on giving notice to his employer of his intention to do so, so terminates his employment without the previous consent of his employer. Explanation 3. An Employer discontinues the employment of his employee, within the meaning of clause (c) (i), notwithstanding that it is an express or implied term of the contract of employment that he might terminate the employment on giving notice to the employee of his intention to do so, terminates the employment without the previous consent of the employee. (4) Any person found guilty of an offence under this, section shall be punishable with imprisonment, for a term which may extent to one year, or with five, or with both.