TS HC questions Wage Board chief selection

Hyderabad: A division bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji on Thursday asked the state government how a politically affiliated person could be appointed chairman of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board.

The court issued notices to Chief Secretary, commissioner of labour, Hyderabad, and P. Narayana, chairman of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board, directing them to respond by October 7.

The bench was dealing with the PIL filed by Madishetti Srinivas, general secretary, Telangana Region Contract Workers Union, who informed the court that the government has issued GO Ms. No. 14, labour employment training and factories department, dated 24-05-2023, appointing Narayana and other members in violation of Section 9 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

The Act mandated that the chairman and members of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board should not have affiliation to any political party. Narayana was general secretary of the Telangana Rashtra Karmika Vibhag.

Chikkudu Prabhakar, counsel for the petitioner, said the state government had not appointed a single women member to the board.

Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan sought a reply from Sanjeev Kumar, special counsel. Kumar said the GO appointing Narayana was issued several years and sought time to get instructions from the government. The case adjourned to October 7.

In another case, the bench directed the Chief Secretary to apprise the court by June 28 as to when the government will appoint the chairman and members to the SC, ST Commission. The posts are vacant since February 2021.

S. Ganesh Rao, social activist, and a petitioner from Lalapet, Secunderabad, had previously filed a PIL seeking a direction to the government to fill up the vacancies. During the course of the hearing, the court had issued notice on February 28 directing the government to appoint the chairman and members to the SC, ST Commission.