Ashwin*, a 31-year-old MTech graduate from Andhra Pradesh, joined Cognizant Technology Solutions in Chennai on January 28 this year.
A week after he joined, the company initiated the background verification process. This is routine in IT companies, who use third party agencies to run checks on new hires, including at their previous workplaces.
But for Ashwin, who had not left his previous company on good terms, the process cost dearly. Cognizant received a negative report from the agency who ran Ashwin’s background check, and 45 days into the job, he was terminated.
Worse, a termination due to a failed background verification meant Ashwin wouldn’t get a relieving letter or experience certificate from Cognizant, making future job prospects bleak for him.
Ashwin alleges that he was being harassed by his previous employer through the background verification process, even months after he left the job.
But this is not an isolated case, Union of IT and ITES Employees (UNITE) Tamil Nadu general secretary Alagunambi Welkin said. “The mechanism of background verification is routinely weaponised to harass IT workers.”
Ashwin said his troubles started in October 2025, when he joined Photon Interactive Private Limited in Chennai. According to him, he was given the impression that he will work a day shift. “The day after I joined, I was made to work the night shift,” he alleged.
He said that this caused him difficulties, including health issues. Citing these concerns, he resigned on December 3, a little over a month into the job.
But a commitment in the letter of appointment he had signed at the time of joining required him to pay the company three months’ gross salary if he were to resign before completing six months on the job.
According to Welkin, Ashwin was initially willing to pay the amount. “The company refused to accept his resignation even though he expressed willingness to pay the bond amount,” Welkin alleged.
Four weeks after he emailed his resignation letter, Ashwin’s work laptop and identity card were collected from him on January 9. However, after he returned his ID card, Ashwin was allegedly unable to meet the person in charge of the Human Resources to resolve the issue, as the security personnel denied him entry.
The same day, Photon emailed him a show-cause notice, accusing him of wilful abandonment of duties. He was given time until January 13 to “resume duty” or pay Rs 3.83 lakh for alleged violation of the commitment clause in his employment contract.
Ashwin recalled, “I clarified that I did not abandon my job at Photon and emailed them that I would resume reporting to the office by January 13.” Allegedly, he wasn't allowed to enter the office premises.
Finally, on January 23, Photon issued him a termination letter. “It stated that I had absconded and abandoned the job, when I clearly had not,” Ashwin said.
On December 12, a week after he emailed his resignation letter, Ashwin registered a complaint in the CPGRAMS public grievances portal. CPGRAMS stands for Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System, an online platform for the public to lodge their grievances.
For seven long months, he got no response.
“My case was taken up by the Sriperumbudur Labour Commissioner in June this year, seven months after the complaint was raised. This shows how ineffective government mechanisms are,” Ashwin said.
He said the Labour Commissioner has so far conducted three hearings, the last of which was held on June 30. However, his former employer, allegedly, did not attend the hearings. “Currently, I am awaiting the Commissioner’s report on the hearings to file a complaint in court,” he said.
Ashwin says four months have passed since Cognizant terminated his employment on March 13. Until the matter is resolved, he will have no proper relieving documents, leaving him unable to apply for another job.
TNM has emailed questions to both Photon and Cognizant. This report will be updated once we receive their response.
*Name changed to protect identity.