Swami Ramamnand Bharti Sahakari Soot Girani Ltd… — Writ and Judicial Review | Bombay HC (2026)

Swami Ramamnand Bharti Sahakari Soot Girani Ltd… — Writ and Judicial Review | Bombay HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

None to the Petitioner; all petitions dismissed with costs and the Industrial Court's directions (payment of differential minimum wages, with 6% per annum interest on default) stand upheld.

Issue for consideration

Whether the impugned orders of the Member, Industrial Court, Sangli - allowing the employees' complaints, finding unfair labour practice under Item 9, Schedule IV of the MRTU & PULP Act 1971, and directing payment of differential minimum wages - warranted interference by this Court. +3 more

Court's answer

Under Article 227 this Court exercises supervisory jurisdiction and does not act as a court of appeal to re-appreciate evidence; it only ensures the subordinate court acted within the bounds of its authority (principle taken from Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd. v. Gorakhnath, 2026 INSC 434).

Ratio / Principle

The Petitioner failed to demonstrate any perversity, jurisdictional error, or patent illegality in the impugned order; accordingly there was no ground for writ-jurisdiction interference.

Key takeaways

Financial inability is not a valid defence for non-payment of minimum wages; the Petitioner's failure to deposit the awarded amount despite repeated opportunities reflected a lack of bona fides and an attempt to evade statutory obligations and frustrate the award.ratio¶447
The work was not temporary: the Petitioner's own record shows the employees' continuous engagement since 2006, and the Industrial Court properly considered the undisputed length of service and the subsistence of the employer-employee relationship in determining entitlement.ratio¶449

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Bombay High Court (Kolhapur Circuit Bench), Sachin S. Deshmukh J., 4 May 2026: batch of 79 consolidated writ petitions by Swami Ramamnand Bharti Sahakari Soot Girani Ltd. (cooperative society, Tasgaon, manufacturing cotton yarn/spinning) against Industrial Court, Sangli orders in employees' complaints under S.28 r/w Items 9 & 10, Sch. IV, MRTU & PULP Act 1971, which found unfair labour practice (Item 9) and directed payment of differential minimum wages with 6% p.a. interest on default. Petitions dismissed with costs. Held: financial inability is no defence to non-payment of minimum wages, and failure to deposit the awarded arrears despite repeated opportunities showed lack of bona fides; the S.86C Maharashtra Industrial Relations Act objection was untenable as no Wage Board reference/determination under S.86A existed; continuous engagement since 2006 belied the 'temporary' characterisation; wages were admittedly below the statutory floor, so the ULP finding and differential-wage direction were consistent with law; Article 227 supervision is not appellate re-appreciation (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd. v. Gorakhnath, 2026 INSC 434, relied on); the Tribunal's notification-based determination was upheld in its entirety.

Parties & counsel

AI extract

petitioner
Swami Ramamnand Bharti Sahakari Soot Girani Ltd. Thr. Chairman¶423
Ms. Simran Sameena, Ms. Ketaki S., Mr. Sanadiip Mutaalik
respondent
Sagar Appaso Chavan¶5
respondent
Vandana Sunil Patil¶9
respondent
Vijay Baurao Dyal¶14
respondent
Mahadev Shrirang Shinde¶19
respondent
Deepak Bhagwan Patil¶24
respondent
Yogesh Kisan Babar¶30
respondent
Mohan Hambira Ghatugade¶35
respondent
Fakkadrao Bhagwan Shinde¶40
respondent
Vinayak Pralhad Chavhan¶45
respondent
Sukhdev Manikrao Lugade¶50
respondent
Annaso Jagnnath Patil¶58
respondent
Tukaram Balaso Kadam¶63
respondent
Avinash Kisan Sutar¶68
respondent
Pravin Ramchandra Lohar¶73
respondent
Rajaram Shankar Patil¶78
respondent
Pradip Ramchandra Mohite¶86
respondent
Daulat Pundlik Landge¶91
respondent
Sudhir Pandurang Patil¶96
respondent
Vijay Janardhan Pawar¶101
respondent
Ramchandra Cyanoba Kadam¶106
respondent
Pradip Vitthal Patil¶111
respondent
Bharat Bhau Patil¶119
respondent
Sanjay Laxman Lugade¶124
respondent
Bhausaheb A. Khade¶129
respondent
Rahul Chandrakant Kokne¶134
respondent
Anil Hari Misal¶139
respondent
Gajanan Shahaji Pawar¶147
respondent
Arun Vasant Chavhan¶151
respondent
Vinod Jagnnath Patil¶156
respondent
Pooja Sanjay Patil¶161
respondent
Dipak Keshav Jadhav¶166
respondent
Sharad Shivling Swami¶171
respondent
Nagesh Yashwant Gurav¶178
respondent
Ganpatrao Ramrao Kharade¶182
respondent
Baburao Prahlad Rupnar¶186
respondent
Manik Sadashiv Patil¶191
respondent
Dattatray Bapuso Pawar¶195
respondent
Macchindra Nanaso Pawar¶203
respondent
Prakash Vitthal Patil¶208
respondent
Hari Shrirang Gurav¶213
respondent
Rahul Balaso Patil¶218
respondent
Shankar Kisan Patil¶221
respondent
Ganpati Daulati Patil¶228
respondent
Manoj Ramchandra Shinde¶233
respondent
Vilas Bapu Patil¶237
respondent
Shashikant Balasaheb Inganale¶242
respondent
Adinath Shripal Shirote¶248
respondent
Dattatray Limbaji Dhanvade¶255
respondent
Haribhau Manohar Patil¶260
respondent
Umesh Gunvant Patil¶265
respondent
Appaso Namdev Kadam¶269
respondent
Sachin Bapurao Lohar¶275
respondent
Sandip Sambhaji Mali¶283
respondent
Subhash Shamrao Patil¶287
respondent
Sanchit Mahadev Patil¶292
respondent
Pravin Gaurihar Shete¶297
respondent
Amol Barasu Jayappa¶302
respondent
Hanmant Subhash Wagh¶307
respondent
Sachin Shivaji Kamble¶315
respondent
Sunil Shanka Gurav¶320
respondent
Gautam Dadaso Patil¶325
respondent
Balaso Pandurang Suryawanshi¶330
respondent
Vikram Vishnu Shinde¶335
respondent
Anil Sambhaji Salunkhe¶342
respondent
Amol Hari Pawar¶347
respondent
Swapnil Chandrakant Pawar¶352
respondent
Avinash Sadashiv Shinde¶357
respondent
Siddheshwar Bapu Borgaonkar¶362
respondent
Pralhad Vitthal Patil¶369
respondent
Yuvraj Shankar Desai¶373
respondent
Suresh Bajirao Patil¶378
respondent
Prakash Mahadev Surywanshi¶383
respondent
Anandrao Bhimrao Kalekar¶388
respondent
Bajirao Ramchandra Desai¶396
respondent
Sunanda Sunil Shinde¶401
respondent
Sandip Shankar Todkar¶406
respondent
Siddhnath Raghunath Mohite¶411
respondent
Manoj Krushna Babar¶416
respondent
Laxman Pralhad Gurav¶422

Coram

AI extract

Sachin S. Deshmukhauthor¶424