Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
21. Recovery of bonus due from an employer
Where any money is due to an employee by way of bonus from his
employer under a settlement or an award or agreement, the employee himself or
any other person authorized by him in writing in this behalf, or in the case of
the death of the employee, his assignee or heirs may, without prejudice to any
other mode of recovery, make an application to the appropriate government for
the recovery of the money due to him, and if the appropriate government or such
authority as the appropriate government may specify in this behalf is satisfied
that any money is so due, it shall issue a certificate for that amount to the
Collector who shall proceed to recover the same in the same manner as an arrear
of land revenue:
PROVIDED that every such application shall be made
within one year from the date on which the money became due to the employee
from the employer:
PROVIDED FURTHER that any such application may be entertained after
the expiry of the said period of one year, if the appropriate government is
satisfied that the applicant had sufficient cause for not making the
application within the said period.
Explanation: In this section and in 23[sections
22, 23, 24 and 25] "employee" includes a person who is entitled to
the payment of bonus under this Act but who is no longer in employment.