New Labour Code Rules To Be Finalised By Feb End: Centre Tells Delhi HC

Last Updated:February 02, 2026, 17:17 IST

The Centre told Delhi High Court rules under the Industrial Relations Code will be finalised by February, addressing concerns over tribunal functioning.

The Delhi High Court. (Image: Reprentative/PTI)

The Centre on Monday said that the rules under the Industrial Relations Code will be finalised by the end of February, as conveyed to the Delhi High Court. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, along with Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, informed Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia that they are currently considering public suggestions in the rule-making process.

The court was hearing a petition regarding the implementation of the Industrial Relations Code 2020, which aims to consolidate laws pertaining to trade unions, employment conditions in industrial establishments, and the settlement of industrial disputes.

Petitioners N A Sebastian and Sunil Kumar argued that although the Central government issued a gazette notification on November 21, 2025, to announce the Industrial Relations Code 2020, it had not yet framed the necessary rules or formed the required tribunals.

In response, Solicitor General Mehta stated that the Centre had issued two notifications on Monday to address these gaps and ensure a smooth transition. The notifications repealed previous labour enactments effective from November 21, 2025, and clarified that existing tribunals under the earlier laws would continue to function until new statutory bodies are constituted under the new code.

With these measures in place, the court closed the proceedings, noting that the petitioners’ concerns had been addressed. The court added that any issues arising during the implementation of the new labour code after the rules are formulated could be raised in a future petition.

The petitioners had expressed concerns that the absence of rules would create a legal vacuum, rendering authorities under the earlier laws unable to function.

“In our opinion, concerns on the writ petition are addressed and continuing the proceedings would not be required," the court said.

The petitioners also said that the transfer of all pending cases to non-existent tribunals had halted the operation of industrial tribunals and labour courts in Delhi, leading to significant confusion.

(PTI Inputs)

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