The Singareni Collieries Company Limited v. Chekka Lingaiah
Industrial Law / Bipartite Settlement – NCWA-VI Clause 9.4.0 – Dependent employment for medically invalidated coal-mine workmen
Case brief
What is this about?
NCWA-VI Clause 9.4.0 dependent employment; Singareni Collieries (SCCL) medically invalidated ex-workmen; permanent disablement from injury or disease versus general physical debility; medical categorization Clause (i) vs Clause (ii); judicial review of expert medical board opinion; perversity and non-application of mind; age bar 58 years and residual service condition inapplicable to Clause (i); bipartite settlement statutory force Section 12(3) Industrial Disputes Act 1947; beneficial construction of welfare provisions; Corporate Medical Board multi-disciplinary composition; amputation, stroke/hemiparesis, quadriparesis, glaucomatous optic atropy; Telangana High Court Division Bench common judgment 02.03.2026; writ appeals disposed.
What did the court decide?
All writ appeals disposed of by common judgment: the workmen at serial Nos. 1, 8, 16, 24 and 32 of the Table at paragraph 25 (including Madurakavi Kistaiah) placed in Clause 9.4.0(i) of NCWA-VI; monetary compensation already paid, if any, to those workmen to be adjusted or recovered from admissible post-retirement dues in accordance with law; Clause (ii) categorization of the remaining workmen upheld; no order as to costs; pending miscellaneous petitions closed.