In Brief
This case concerns Kerala abkari (liquor) workers who lost employment following a ban on arrack. They claimed rehabilitation rights under a Government Order and sought consideration for 25% of future daily wage vacancies in retail outlets. The Supreme Court held that no vested right of rehabilitation accrued to all displaced workers from the Government Order alone. Legitimate expectation requires clear, specific representations of substantive benefits—not general promises of future consideration. Since an earlier judgment had found the challenged order illegal, it could not be sustained on appeal. The Court dismissed the workers' claims, noting that expectations for speculative future benefits are not enforceable and cannot override a final, binding judgment on illegality."
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