law: 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.