Archive · 9 Oct 2026
Supreme Court Raises Rajasthan Worker’s Compensation After Long Legal Battle
Kallu Khan worked as a daily-wage worker in Rajasthan.
His job ended in 1998, and he challenged that decision.
A Labour Court later said he should get his job back and receive backwages.
The Rajasthan High Court changed that outcome to a payment of Rs 5 lakh.
Khan kept asking courts to review the decision.
The Supreme Court did not reopen the earlier ruling, but raised the payment to Rs 7.5 lakh.
It considered how long Khan had pursued his case and how long he might have worked if reinstated.
The court said this special decision should not be treated as a rule for other cases.
The money must be paid within one month.
The Supreme Court raised Kallu Khan’s compensation from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh.
Khan had worked as a contractual daily wager from November 19, 1990, to September 1, 1998.
A Labour Court had ordered his reinstatement, continuity of service and full backwages in 2020.
The Rajasthan High Court later replaced reinstatement and 50 per cent backwages with Rs 5 lakh compensation.
The Supreme Court said the increase reflected the case’s circumstances and was not a precedent; payment is due within one month.
- Who
- Kallu Khan, a former contractual daily wager, and the Supreme Court of India.
- What
- The Supreme Court increased his compensation from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh.
- When
- The order followed Khan’s legal proceedings, which began in 1998; the court directed payment within one month.
- Where
- The case concerned Khan’s employment in Rajasthan and was decided by the Supreme Court of India.
- Why
- The court cited the length of his legal battle, his period of service and the additional three years he could have worked if reinstated.
- Compensation before Supreme Court order
- Rs 5 lakh
- Enhanced compensation
- Rs 7.5 lakh
- Payment deadline
- Within one month
- Employment period
- November 19, 1990, to September 1, 1998
- Labour Court award
- February 18, 2020; ordered reinstatement, continuity of service, full backwages and other consequential benefits
- Rajasthan High Court Division Bench order
- August 4, 2025; replaced reinstatement and 50 per cent backwages with Rs 5 lakh compensation
- Precedential status
- The Supreme Court said the enhancement was based on the peculiar facts of the case and was not a precedent.