Question

Assertion (A): An employee can be deemed to be in continuous service for one year only if he has worked for 365 days in the preceding twelve months without any interruption.
Reason (R): Under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, continuous service may also include periods of interruption due to sickness, accident, leave, lay-off, strike, or lock-out not caused by the employee's fault.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
• C. (A) is true, but (R) is false
• D. (A) is false, but (R) is true

Hint:

Continuous service includes permitted interruptions; it does not mean literal uninterrupted working days.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Evaluate Assertion (A).
Assertion (A) is incorrect because continuous service does not require 365 days of actual work; the Act considers certain interruptions as part of continuous service.
Step 2: Evaluate Reason (R).
Reason (R) is correct — periods such as sickness, accident, leave, lay-off, strike, etc. count as continuous service.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Since (A) is false and (R) is true, option (4) is correct.