The Jharkhand High Court has directed the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC) to regularise the service of an employee retrospectively from 20 February, 2001, along with all consequential service and financial benefits.
The order was passed by a single bench of Justice Deepak Roshan while hearing a long-pending petition filed by Rakesh Kumar, who has been working with JTDC since 1993.
Kumar had challenged the corporation’s failure to regularise his employment despite his prolonged service. His case was that he had continued to perform duties against sanctioned work for several years without receiving the status and statutory benefits associated with regular employment.
The court has now fixed 20 February, 2001, as the effective date of his regularisation. JTDC will, therefore, have to extend the applicable service and financial benefits from that date.
The ruling comes as Kumar approaches retirement, bringing judicial closure to a service dispute that has continued for decades. Senior advocate Manoj Tandon appeared for Kumar in the matter.
The judgment may also draw attention among other JTDC employees who have spent long periods working under daily-wage or contractual arrangements.
However, the order does not automatically entitle all similarly-placed employees to regularisation. Any such claim would have to be examined separately based on the employee’s service history, the nature of the appointment and the applicable legal provisions.
For Kumar, the court’s direction provides a retrospective regular status and associated benefits after more than two decades of service.
