The Supreme Court delivered a sharp rebuke to the Jammu and Kashmir administration for its staggering 16-year failure to comply with a High Court directive regarding the regularization of daily wage workers. Expressing strong displeasure, the bench criticized the authorities for subjecting vulnerable workers to prolonged legal battles instead of enforcing an order issued back in 2007.
At the heart of the case is a 2006 directive under Government Order SRO 64 of 1994, which mandated the regularization of daily wagers under certain conditions. The High Court had ruled in 2007 that the petitioners should be treated on par with other workers who had already benefited from the policy. However, rather than following through, the administration dragged its feet, forcing the workers into a drawn-out struggle for justice.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh minced no words in its criticism. “This is not merely about a delay spanning decades,” the court observed. “The real concern is the deliberate harassment faced by these workers due to repeated cryptic orders that blatantly disregard the High Court’s ruling.”
The Supreme Court went as far as suggesting exemplary costs and disciplinary action against those responsible for the delay but ultimately decided to hold off, given that contempt proceedings are still pending in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Nevertheless, the bench urged the High Court to expedite the contempt case with weekly hearings to ensure that justice is no longer delayed.
Previously, the Division Bench of the J&K High Court had already dismissed an appeal by the administration and imposed a ₹25,000 fine, ordering that the cost be recovered from the officer responsible for advising the appeal.
This case underscores a broader issue of administrative defiance against judicial directives, leaving the most vulnerable workers to fight an uphill legal battle for their rightful dues. The Supreme Court’s latest intervention signals a growing intolerance for such bureaucratic resistance, but whether it results in real action remains to be seen.
