In first, 50% WFH rule enforced in Gurugram private offices, two law firms get notice

Learn the reported action together with its current status. In an unprecedented action, the Gurugram district administration has served show-cause notices on several private commercial establishments in the city for alleged “violation of the directions restricting physical attendance of employees to 50%” to reduce regional air pollution. The mandatory 50 per cent work-from-home (WFH) order was issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram on November 3 following directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

Check the reported status and any stated limitations; do not assume an outcome beyond the source.

Distinguish the reported action from any further step explicitly stated in the report. According to the notices, the inspectors discovered that physical attendance at the offices of both law firms – Trilegal and JSA Advocates & Solicitors, which have their offices on the same premises in Gurugram’s Sector 42 – exceeded the cap set under the anti-pollution directives. According to the notices, the inspectors found “approximately 87” and “approximately 160” employees at the two offices, whose “total staff strength” were 117 and 262 respectively.

• The show-cause notices, which have been accessed by The Indian Express, were issued on November 5 by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Badshahpur, after surprise on-site inspections. • The SDM’s office directed the managements of both law firms to submit written explanations along with supporting documents within 24 hours. • The orders warned that failure to furnish a satisfactory response within the stipulated window would invite proceedings under Section 14 of the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021 (CAQM Act).