High Court Orders Regularisation of 16 Mangaluru City Corporation Contract Workers

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, June 22, 2025: In a significant relief for long-serving contract workers, the Karnataka High Court has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district to regularise the services of 16 contract workers employed at Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC). The directive comes after Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav partially allowed a petition filed by Bhagwan Das and 15 others, who have been serving as valvemen and pump operators for 28 years.

The petitioners’ services continued through a service provider agency even after the Karnataka government abolished the contract labour system in 2006. While the MCC regularised the services of 79 similarly positioned workers on July 28, 2016, the petitioners’ requests for the same benefit were declined, prompting them to approach the Deputy Commissioner. However, their appeal was rejected on December 12, 2019, leading them to file a petition in the High Court.

Justice Yadav noted that the petitioners had worked in sanctioned posts through outsourcing, a practice the Supreme Court has identified as a way to circumvent direct recruitment. He ruled that the petitioners are entitled to continuity of service, with their years of service contributing to post-retirement benefits.

The court specified that the regularisation would take effect from the date each worker completed 10 years of service. This ruling underscores the legal recognition of contract workers’ rights and ensures greater security for long-serving employees in government roles.