Man fired 25 years after going on sick leave, never coming back

It took 25 years, but one Indian man was finally fired from his job after calling in sick in 1990 and never coming back.

A.K. Verma was a senior bureaucrat at India's Central Public Works Department, The Guardian reports, and after initially going out on leave, he "went on seeking extension of leave, which was not sanctioned, and defied directions to report to work," the government said in a statement. In 1992, he was found guilty of "willful absence from duty," but he wasn't finally fired until Thursday, when Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naudi ordered he be let go to "streamline the functioning of CPWD and ensure accountability."

India has strict labor laws that make it difficulty for employers to fire workers, and The Guardian reports that civil servants have reputations for coming to work late, spending time on the clock at golf courses, and taking extended lunches. The times are changing under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said he was appalled by how many workers were late or never showed up, and has started making unannounced visits to government offices.

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