The Supreme Court recently took exception to the Rajasthan government's repeated refusal to implement a labour court award passed in favour of a poor, part-time worker in 2001 [State of Rajasthan and ors vs Gopal Bijawat].A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Satish Chandra Sharma noted that the labourer had to keep litigating the matter for around 22 years as a result."It is unfortunate that the State of Rajasthan has been harassing the poor litigant, a part-time labourer, who was extended benefits by the Labour Court in the year 2001, i.e. for the last 22 years he has been litigating. This is totally a frivolous petition," the bench lamented.The apex court, thus, dismissed the State's appeal against a December 8 Rajasthan High Court order in the matter while ordering the Rajasthan government to pay ₹10 lakhs as costs.
Rajasthan not providing timely assistance to court; its lawyers fail to appear: Supreme CourtFollowing a labour dispute, the labourer was reinstated back to service by a labour court in 2001. The State's plea challenging the labour court award was later dismissed by the High Court.However, the labourer had to keep moving courts seeking the enforcement of the labour court award.Multiple benches of the High Court upheld the payment to be made to the labourer by the State, leading to the instant appeal before the top court by the Rajasthan government.The said appeal has now been dismissed by the Supreme Court, which has ordered the State to pay ₹10 lakhs as costs to the labourer within four weeks.Advocates Ketan Paul, Shubhi Pandey, and Chakshu Purohit represented the State of Rajasthan.
TAGS: Supreme Court Rajasthan government labour court award Gopal Bijawat part-time worker litigation harassment frivolous petition costs Rajasthan High Court
