Ex gratia is an act of gratis and has no 2 1990 SCC OnLine NCDRC 24 C.A. No.270 of 2012 Page 11 of 35connection with the liability, payable as a legal duty. Going by the Oxford Dictionary of Law, 5th Edition, the term “ex gratia” is payment not required to be made by a legal duty. 12. In the contextual situation, it is relevant to refer to the decision of this Court in Sudesh Dogra v. Union of India & Ors.3. This Court held therein that ex gratia is an act of gratis and it got no connection with the liability of the State under law and the very nature of the relief and its dispensation by the State could not be governed by directions in the nature of mandamus unless, of course, there is an apparent discrimination in the manner of grant of such relief. 13. In the context of the directions, it is also to be noted that such an offer was made by the Respondent much earlier even before the matter reached the District Forum, but the appellant had denied to accept such an 3 (2014) 6 SCC 486