1. Background
On June 22, 2025, the Karnataka High Court, headed by Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav, issued an important order: the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) must regularise the services of 16 contract workers—primarily valvemen and pump operators—who have served the water supply department for over 28 years timesofindia.indiatimes.com+15livelaw.in+15timesofindia.indiatimes.com+15livelaw.in+2reddit.com+2thehindu.com+2reddit.com+9livelaw.in+9reddit.com+9reddit.com+14thehindu.com+14reddit.com+14timesofindia.indiatimes.com+3reddit.com+3mangaloretoday.com+3timesofindia.indiatimes.com+2timesofindia.indiatimes.com+2timesofindia.indiatimes.com+2reddit.com+1timesofindia.indiatimes.com+1.
2. Petition History
The petitioners, led by Bhagwan Das and 15 colleagues, had appealed to regularise their employment through the Deputy Commissioner. Their plea was rejected in December 2019, even after similar benefits were extended in 2016 to 79 other workers timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
3. Umadevi Principle & Court Analysis
The court invoked the Supreme Court’s Umadevi (2006) ruling, which held that long-serving contract employees are entitled to regularisation in equivalent permanent roles. Justice Yadav noted that the corporation had been using outsourcing to bypass hiring freezes and avoid direct recruitment thelegalaffair.com+1timesofindia.indiatimes.com+1.
4. Court's Directives
Justice Yadav ruled:
The 16 workers be regularised immediately, with continuity from the date they completed 10 years of service.
They are entitled to post-retirement benefits, including pension and gratuity, from that date onward timesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com+8thelegalaffair.com+8timesofindia.indiatimes.com+8.
5. Wider Implications
This decision brings attention to broader issues faced by municipal contract workers:
In Dakshina Kannada alone, about 900 outsourced civic workers, including water supply staff, remain on insecure contracts, even as others were regularised reddit.com+10thehindu.com+10mangaloretoday.com+10mangaloretoday.com+2mangaloretoday.com+2timesofindia.indiatimes.com+2.
It follows earlier HC rulings—such as in Tumakuru—where daily wage and sanitation workers were similarly regularised under the Umadevi doctrine timesofindia.indiatimes.com+2livelaw.in+2thelegalaffair.com+2.
Civic associations in Mangaluru have demanded regularisation for around 35,000 contract workers across service categories mangaloretoday.com+3reddit.com+3timesofindia.indiatimes.com+3.
✅ Conclusion
The Karnataka High Court’s ruling marks a key moment for labour justice in municipal governance—recognizing long-term contract staff as deserving of regular employment, fair wages, and retirement benefits. It may establish a strong precedent in Karnataka and beyond.
✅ FAQs
Q1. Who are the 16 contract workers mentioned?
They are valvemen and pump operators in the Mangaluru City Corporation’s water supply department, each with over 28 years of service thenewsminute.com+14thelegalaffair.com+14timesofindia.indiatimes.com+14reddit.com+3reddit.com+3timesofindia.indiatimes.com+3.
Q2. Why were others regularised earlier and these were not?
In 2016, 79 similar water department workers were regularised. However, these petitioners were excluded in 2019 when they applied via the Deputy Commissioner thelegalaffair.com+1timesofindia.indiatimes.com+1.
Q3. What legal doctrine did the court rely on?
The court referred to the Umadevi judgment (2006), which mandates that contract workers serving in sanctioned roles for over 10 years should be regularised livelaw.in+4thelegalaffair.com+4timesofindia.indiatimes.com+4.
Q4. What benefits will the workers receive?
They’ll receive continuity of service from the 10-year mark, plus post-retirement benefits like pension, gratuity, and other entitlements thelegalaffair.com+1timesofindia.indiatimes.com+1.
Q5. Could this lead to more regularisations?
Yes. Hundreds of contract workers in Mangaluru—especially in water, sanitation, and maintenance—may soon seek justice using this ruling as precedent .
published on 23rdjune
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