2A Continuous service.- For the purposes of this Act,- — The PAYMENT OF GRATUITY ACT, 1972

1 [2A Continuous service.- For the purposes of this Act,- an employee shall be said to be in continuous service for a period if he has, for that period, been in uninterrupted service, including service which may be interrupted on account of sickness, accident, leave, absence from duty without leave (not being absence in respect of which an order 2[* * *] treating the absence as break in service has been passed in accordance with the standing orders, rules or regulations governing the employees of the establishment), lay-off , strike or a lock-out or cessation of work not due to any fault of the employee, whether such uninterrupted or interrupted service was rendered before or after the commencement of this Act; where an employee (not being an employee employed in a seasonal establishment) is not in continuous service with in the meaning of clause (1), for any period of one year or six months, he shall be deemed to be in continuous service under the employer-

Section 1