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Oil and Natural Gas Corporation v. Krishan Gopal & Ors.

Civil Appeal · 2020 INSC 147Decided 7 Feb 2020
Civil Appeal No. 1878 of 2016
Dr. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud · Justice Ajay Rastogi

Background

This is a referral order, not a final judgment. Temporary and casual ONGC workers who had completed 240 days of service claimed regularisation under ONGC's Certified Standing Orders, relying on the Supreme Court's 2015 decision in ONGC v. Petroleum Coal Labour Union.

Decision Breakdown

This is a referral order, not a final judgment. The Court doubted that 2015 decision because it did not consider an earlier ONGC precedent or the limits on ordering regularisation set by the Constitution Bench in Umadevi. It framed questions for a larger bench and asked the Chief Justice to constitute one. The workers' claims were not decided.

Lesson Learnt

There is no final ruling yet. Whether casual workers can be regularised under standing orders was left to a larger bench.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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