HC issues contempt notice to Telangana over non-revision of wages

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has issued a contempt notice to the chief secretary, special special secretary, commissioner of labour department and secretary printing press for failing to revise and publish minimum wages for scheduled employment under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, as directed by the court earlier.

The contempt proceedings were initiated for alleged wilful non-compliance with the court’s order, Live Law reported.

An HC bench comprising justice Alok Aradhe and justice NV Shravan Kumar issued notices and deferred the matter for counterarguments of the State.

The HC had directed the state to revise and publish the minimum wages after M/S Telangana Regional Trade Union Council filed a PIL against the government’s inaction over the revision of wages for 73 scheduled employments listed under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

The counsel for the petitioner had argued that revision of wages had been pending for over 12 years. The state had undertaken to ensure that the concerned GO would be published in the Gazette at the earliest.