Kalaburagi bench of Karnataka High Court orders regularisation of gangwoman’s service after 26 years

In what has been described as a landmark judgment for thousands of workers in similar situations, the Kalaburagi bench of the High Court of Karnataka directed the Panchayat Raj Engineering Division at Basavakalyan in Bidar district to regularise the services of Parvati, a gangwoman, with effect from the date of her appointment.

Justice Jyoti Mulimani, delivering the oral order on August 13, observed that Ms. Parvati had rendered ‘long and uninterrupted service for more than two-and-a-half decades’, and, therefore, deserved regularisation without further delay. The court has given two weeks’ time the authorities to comply with the order.

The petitioner’s husband, Ramu, had been employed as a watchman in the office of the Assistant Executive Engineer, Zilla Panchayat Engineering Sub-Division, Basavakalyan. Following his death on May 8, 1993, Ms. Parvati approached the Labour Court seeking an unskilled job. In 1998, the court allowed her plea, and directed the authorities to provide suitable employment. Since then, she has been working in the establishment as a gangwoman.

Despite serving for nearly 26 years, her services had not been regularised, prompting her to move the High Court through counsel Nitesh Padiyal.

The court observed that the Labour Court in Gulbarga had in 1998 directed the authorities to provide her with unskilled employment, and noted that she had been in service since then. It, therefore, directed the respondent authorities to regularise her services within two weeks from the date of the order.

“The fourth respondent has a legal obligation to regularise the services of the petitioner because the petitioner has rendered long and uninterrupted service for two-and-a-half decades,” the order stated.

Legal experts said the judgment would serve as an important precedent for contract and daily-wage workers awaiting regularisation in various departments.

“This case has once again underlined that justice delayed for decades can still be delivered, offering hope to many others in similar circumstances,” said Mr. Padiyal.