In Brief
These transfer petitions sought to consolidate various writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015, pending before eighteen different High Courts, into the Supreme Court. The Union of India argued that the risk of conflicting decisions across High Courts warranted centralized adjudication. The Court declined the transfer, holding that the likelihood of judicial divergence alone cannot justify removing cases from jurisdictional High Courts. The Court noted that the amended Act requires differing application based on each State's minimum wage provisions and the appropriate Government's role, making state-specific adjudication preferable. The Court vacated interim stay orders and requested the High Courts to proceed expeditiously with their respective petitions.
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