A division bench of Calcutta High Court headed by Justice T.B.N Radhakrishnan on Wednesday gave the state labour department the liberty to take legal steps against jute mill owners across Bengal if they failed to pay their workers during the lockdown period.

The order came in the wake of a petition by Sharmistha Chowdhury, general secretary of the Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI)-affiliated jute mill employees’ union.

The petition alleged that by not paying salaries, the management of the mills had violated the state labour commissioner’s March 29 order.

The labour commissioner had in his order asked mill owners to pay workers their salaries during the lockdown.