In Brief
Four employees engaged as daily-wage workers in 1993, later contractual (1996), were granted minimum pay-scale and temporary status in 2006 with retrospective effect. The High Court dismissed their writ petition for regularization relying on Uma Devi principles. The Supreme Court allowed their appeal, holding that the appointments were irregular, not illegal, with no back-door entry. Since the employer itself recognized the posts as available and granted temporary status, and employees had served 10+ years, they qualified for regularization under Uma Devi's one-time measure. The Court directed regularization from October 2002 with full arrears and benefits, criticizing misapplication of Uma Devi to deny protection to exploitatively-employed workers.
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