The bench of Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka termed it a “clear case of discrimination on the part of BHEL in not regularising the appointments on a permanent basis.”
The Telangana High Court Wednesday directed Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to regularise the services of 29 temporary medical staff employed at its General Hospital in Hyderabad. It ruled that the company “had indulged in unfair labour practices” and added that the continued engagement of petitioners as ad-hoc employees for several years amounts to “hostile discrimination”, especially when similarly placed employees were regularised after just two years of ad-hoc service.
The bench of Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka termed it a “clear case of discrimination on the part of BHEL in not regularising the appointments on a permanent basis.”
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The petitioners, who included medical technicians, nurses, and lab assistants, were appointed on a temporary, ad-hoc basis between 2005 and 2012. Despite being fully qualified and recruited through proper channels, such as through employment exchanges, campus selections, internal circulars, and written tests, many had worked for over a decade without the security of permanent employment.
The petitioners’ counsel informed the court that though their initial recruitment was legal and as per rules, the BHEL appointed them for fixed six-month terms, and repeatedly reappointed them after short artificial breaks, keeping them on ad-hoc status for more than a decade.
As per a March 2016 settlement, the petitioners agreed to be provided statutory benefits such as ESI, EPF, Bonus/SIP as per BHEL norms, along with housing accommodation and medical insurance up to Rs 2 lakh.
“However, petitioners are still denied job security and regular pay scales, highlighting an attempt to exploit them by paying lower wages compared to permanent employees,” the judgment noted.
During the proceedings, BHEL argued that the petitioners were aware of the temporary nature of their appointments and now cannot turn around and demand for permanent appointment. “This submission cannot be received. Continuation of Petitioners on ad-hoc basis is contra to the law laid down by the Supreme Court,” the judgment stated. Justice Bheemapaka also highlighted BHEL’s continuous engagement of the staff, emphasising that their services were essential and integral to the company’s operations.
Rahul V Pisharody is an Assistant Editor with the Indian Express Online and has been reporting from Telangana on various issues since 2019. Besides a focused approach to big news developments, Rahul has a keen interest in stories about Hyderabad and its inhabitants and looks out for interesting features on the city's heritage, environment, history culture etc. His articles are straightforward and simple reads in sync with the context.
Rahul started his career as a journalist in 2011 with The New Indian Express and worked in different roles at the Hyderabad bureau for over 8 years. As Deputy Metro Editor, he was in charge of the Hyderabad bureau of the newspaper and coordinated with the team of district correspondents, centres and internet desk for over three years.
A native of Palakkad in Kerala, Rahul has a Master's degree in Communication (Print and New Media) from the University of Hyderabad and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. Long motorcycle rides and travel photography are among his other interests. ... Read More