New Delhi, December 11 (HS): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday termed the Centre’s latest notification on the implementation of new labour laws as inadequate and technically insufficient. A Bench headed by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya said the notification failed to meet legal requirements and appeared to have been issued in haste. The court has fixed the next hearing for January 12, 2026.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that a fresh notification had been issued to implement the new labour codes in a simplified and streamlined manner. According to the new notification, the four new labour codes will come into effect from April 1, 2026.
However, the petitioner’s counsel, Ravindra S. Garia, argued that the notification was not legally valid. The court agreed that the notification contained shortcomings, pointing out that it made no mention of repealing the earlier labour laws.
The Bench criticised the Centre for issuing the notification in undue haste, without considering the challenges faced by workers and judges in labour courts. The court observed that officials seemed to have acted without adequate consultation. It advised that, in matters involving labour laws, the government should seek inputs from petitioners or lawyers who possess a deeper understanding of such legal frameworks.
The High Court had issued notice to the Centre on December 3 after hearing a petition filed by advocates N. A. Sebastian and Sunil Kumar.
Petitioner’s counsel Garia argued that over 29 labour laws were repealed to introduce four new codes on November 21. The petition highlighted that labour courts were abolished and replaced by labour tribunals, comprising a judicial officer and an associate member. All pending cases in labour courts would be transferred to these tribunals.
Garia further stated that although the laws have been enforced, the necessary rules have not yet been framed, nor has the infrastructure for labour tribunals been created. He said the laws were implemented “without applying mind,” despite being passed by Parliament in 2020. Over the past five years, the government failed to frame rules or prepare the required infrastructure, yet rushed to notify the laws with extensive publicity. Hence, the petition sought a stay on the implementation.
During the hearing, the court asked ASG Sharma why the laws were notified without adequate preparation. The court directed him to seek instructions from the government and update the court.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
