The Telangana High Court has issued notices to the chief secretary, commissioner of labour, and P Narayana, chairman of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board. They must respond by October 7 to a WP(PIL)29/2023 filed by Madishetti Srinivas, general secretary of the Telangana Region Contract Workers’ Union. The government appointed Narayana as chairman in May 2023 in violation of the Minimum Wages Act. The act states that the chairman and members should not have any political affiliation. The counsel for the petitioner also pointed out that no women have been appointed to the board.
During the hearing, the court learned that the appointment of Narayana was made in 2016 and sought instructions from the government on whether to continue with the trade union cited. The hearing was adjourned to July 10.
In another case, the court directed the chief secretary to apprise the court by which date the government will appoint the chairman and members of the ST Commission. The posts have been vacant since February 2021. The hearing was adjourned to June 28.
