Factory Worker's Fake Injury Claim for Compensation — Manufacturing, Manesar
The Client: A 500-employee auto-components manufacturing plant in Manesar operating three shifts.
What Happened: A machine operator reported a hand injury, claimed that it happened while operating a press machine during the night shift. He filed a legal case under the Employees' Compensation Act demanding ₹18 lakh in compensation. He also complained that the injury was caused by a faulty machine and negligence by the company in maintaining safety equipment and unsafe working conditions. This claim could have caused serious trouble for the factory — a full safety inspection, potential shutdown of the production line, and a jump in insurance costs of over ₹8 lakh per year.
What the Evidence we collected from factory:
- CCTV footage from the factory floor showed the operator was nowhere near the press machine at the time he claimed the injury occurred
- The shift attendance biometric system showed the operator had left out 45 minutes before the alleged accident time
- The operator's co-workers on the night shift confirmed he had left the factory floor early that night
- The timeline didn't match up. He said the accident happened at 11:15 PM on the factory floor. Hospital records showed he arrived at 11:30 PM — just 15 minutes later. But the factory is 40 minutes from the hospital. And his shift wasn't even over until 12:30 AM. So how did he reach the hospital before his shift ended?
- The press machine he blamed had passed its quarterly safety inspection just 12 days before the alleged incident
- A fellow worker privately informed the company that the operator had injured his hand in a fight outside the factory and decided to claim it as a workplace injury for compensation
How SPJ Advocates Helped:
- Collected and preserved all CCTV footage, biometric records, and machine maintenance logs before they could be overwritten
- Obtained certified copies of the hospital admission records showing the injury location was listed as "outside workplace"
- Filed a detailed response to the Employees' Compensation Commissioner with the full evidence package — CCTV, biometrics, hospital records, machine inspection reports, and witness statements
- Responded to the Factory Inspector's notice with complete machine maintenance records and safety audit reports, presented full compliance documents
- Filed a counter-complaint for filing a fraudulent compensation claim
The Result: The Compensation Commissioner dismissed the claim after reviewing the evidence — particularly the CCTV footage and hospital admission records which directly contradicted the operator's story. The Factory Inspector closed the investigation after confirming that all safety protocols were in place. The company's insurance premium was not affected. The operator was terminated for misconduct (filing a fraudulent claim), following proper disciplinary procedure including a domestic inquiry.
