In the Courts
‘Innovating at pleasure’: Calcutta HC quashes order to scrap 32,000 teacher appointments, court says only 360 cases had irregularities
KOLKATA: A Calcutta High Court division bench on Wednesday ruled against scrapping the recruitment of 32,000 teachers for state-run primary schools, setting aside an order of HC judge-turned-BJP MP Abhijit Ganguly. Justice Ganguly had in 2023 cancelled the appointments, which were based on the 2014 Teacher Eligibility Test, on the grounds that the jobs were "actually sold". The SC had stayed the order. Acting on an appeal by the state govt against the single-judge bench's order, the division bench ruled this week that no evidence of systemic corruption had been found by the CBI.
Calcutta High Court orders Rs 30 lakh compensation for 2021 Kolkata manual scavenging deaths
The Calcutta High Court has held the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the state authorities responsible for serious lapses that led to the deaths of four labourers and injuries to three while cleaning a sewer line in Kolkata in February 2021, Live Law reported. “Manual scavenging is a grave, human right concern and its persistence is a blot on the nation’s conscience,” The Indian Express quoted the order as saying.
Supreme Court Appreciates SCBA For Raising Menstrual Dignity Matter, Issues Notice On Plea Against 'Period Checks' At Workplaces
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on the Supreme Court Bar Association's (SCBA) plea seeking formulation of binding guidelines to ensure that the privacy, dignity, bodily autonomy and health of women are not violated when they are menstruating or facing related gynaecological issues at workplaces and educational institutions. Female sanitation workers at the Maharashi Dayanand University in Haryana were asked to prove through pictures of their private parts that they were menstruating.
Karnataka HC stops state from increasing internal quota for SC/STs
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court restrained the state government this week from implementing the increase in reservation under the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or posts in the services under the State) Act, 2022. Recruitments that have begun can continue; Petitioners say Act violates SC’s 50% limit.
Tamil Nadu SIR| Teachers Appointed As BLOs Shouldn't Face Coercive Action For Not Meeting Targets : TVK Party Tells Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will hear on December 4 the plea by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu.The bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing the matter.
Farm News
Farms Without Workers: The Deepening Rural Labour Crisis in Urbanising Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanised state in India with urban population as high as 48.5% compared to national average of 31%. The effects of high level of urbanisation and industrialisation in Tamil Nadu have impacted the agriculture sector drastically. The dwindling numbers of agriculture labourers and the rising cost of labour without proportionate increase in agricultural income has become a major concern for farmers and is making farming unviable.
Labour Reforms
Necessary Reforms, Missed Opportunities: The Troubled Rollout of India’s Labour Codes
Even in the Social Security Code, the inclusion of gig workers is commendable and recognising gig and platform workers in the category of workers would help in safeguarding lakhs of workers. The gap between data-driven visibility and actual security remains one of the most significant challenges that the Social Security Code must address. Without functional integration between central and state systems, and without portable, enforceable entitlements, universal social security will remain an aspiration. However, the fact is that in a SS Code of over 100 clauses barely two clauses are devoted to the unorganised sector workers, although they constitute 85% of all workers. (See table on impact of major changes on workers and employers.)
Can new labour codes help weakest states of India prosper?
India has always had surplus labour and, not surprisingly as a result, fairly low wage rates. But instead of these being a strength, Indian states that had surplus labour and low wage rates, have historically been the laggards in the growth story.
The steady immiseration of labour
The 1990s marked a watershed in the attitude of the Indian state towards labour, with the ushering in of “liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation” (LPG) policies. By the end of the 1990s, both capital and a willing state had eviscerated the labour movement. The death blow will be dealt in the 2020s.
Implementation of new labour codes could boost consumption by ₹75,000 crore: SBI report
Implementation of the four labour codes could generate employment for 77 lakh people and boost consumption by ₹75,000 crore, according to a research report released by SBI on Tuesday.
Labour reforms will help job creation, expand social security net: India Inc
After the Centre implemented the long-pending four labour codes, the industry said the new norms could help accelerate formal job creation and the widening of the social security net, but much depends on how the states implement the norms.
News from States
Assam Passes Landmark Bill Granting Land Rights To 3 Lakh Tea Garden Workers
The Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holding (Amendment) Bill, 2025, has been passed, paving the way for thousands of tea garden workers residing in the labour lines to receive land pattas (title deeds) and ownership rights.The passage of the bill is highly significant given that the tea garden community decides the fate of approximately 35 out of the total 126 constituencies in poll-bound Assam, making its timing crucial ahead of next year's Assembly polls.
In MP a tribal woman’s death throws spotlight on unending queues for urea
VIDEO: This video covers a tragic incident in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh, where a tribal woman died after standing in line for fertilizer distribution for two days amidst severe cold. The woman's family and nearby farmers describe the long queues and lack of basic facilities like drinking water at the distribution centres.
Climate, Caste and the Surgical Scars of Sugarcane Labour in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra's sugarcane fields, economic coercion, caste hierarchies, and climate stress are driving thousands of young Dalit and Adivasi women to undergo unnecessary hysterectomies to avoid missing work.
Why are Srinagar’s traditional livelihoods struggling to survive?
How are wetlands, lakes, and mountains shaping Srinagar’s economy? What role did Article 370’s dilution play in local livelihoods? Why are tourism, horticulture, and artisan trades struggling? What strategies can build a resilient, locally rooted economy?
Tailpiece
Malegaon & its many rewrites. Riots, bombs, Superman & now Reels
VIDEO: Malegaon’s young powerloom workers are making Instagram reels. This textile town in Maharashtra, lives in two parallel universes. One is the Muslim-majority town stereotyped through riots and blasts, a place many Hindus warn each other about. The other is a restless world of ambition—powerlooms, parody films, homegrown Supermen, Instagram Reels, and that ever-present Bigg Boss dream. Each time India tries to box Malegaon into a single identity, the town slips out, reinventing itself yet again.
Women in the Workforce
Night shifts for women: Opportunity or exploitation?
States rush to permit women’s night work while diluting labour protections. Unions ask, is this equality or a race to exploit cheaper workers?
Employment News
PM Internship Flop Show: Only 16,000 Candidates Show Up, 41% Quit Midway
New Delhi: More than a year after its debut, the Narendra Modi government’s flagship Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS), aimed at training one crore young people over the next five years, is witnessing a combination of low acceptance rates and significant dropout, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on Monday (December 1). Only 95 interns have been given offer letters by their employers, as per data provided by the Union Minister in the Lok Sabha.
H-1B nod for IT firms drops to 4.6K, lowest in a decade
BENGALURU: The top seven Indian IT firms received only 4,573 H-1B petitions approved for initial employment in FY 2025—a 70% decline from 2015 and 37% fewer than in 2024, according to the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). The analysis, based on data from the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, shows TCS is the only Indian IT services company among the top five employers securing approvals for new H-1B workers in the US.
Working Conditions
He didn’t sleep for days. Inside the SIR pressure that broke a Rajasthan BLO
Booth-Level Officer Mukesh Jangid died by suicide in Rajasthan, leaving a note blaming extreme pressure from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral work, marked by digital deadlines and suspension threats. His death highlights a wider crisis where teachers, acting as BLOs across several states, face impossible tasks like resurrecting a 2002 voter list, leading to severe distress and other casualties.
Livelihoods
Hunted at the forest’s edge, Sundarbans villagers risk death each day to earn livelihood
Fishermen describe chilling tiger run-ins, the fear shadowing every trip and the harsh reality that limited livelihood options push them back into the forests again and again.
Bonded Labour
Bonded Labor Law Exists in India, But Millions Still Work in Servitude
Workers Denied FIRs, Compensation and Support, Says a New Report. India outlawed bonded labour nearly 50 years ago, but millions remain trapped in exploitative working conditions, according to a new report by a workers’ rights network, which has accused the government of neglecting its legal duty to enforce protections and support victims.