Supreme Court Orders Permanent Jobs for ISRO Daily Wage Workers After 30-Year Fight

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed ISRO's Mahendragiri Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) to regularize its daily wage workers, ending a three-decade legal battle. The court sharply criticized authorities for repeatedly defying prior orders to grant permanent status.

The ruling, by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, mandates regularization effective from September 9, 2010, for all petitioners and similarly situated workers under the same scheme. Implementation must be completed within four weeks. These workers, hired between 1991-1997 for loading/unloading tasks, finally secured victory.

"The government must act as a model employer," the court declared, stressing that workers contributing to national achievements like India's moon missions deserve dignity and equality under Article 14 of the Constitution. Ignoring their role dishonors collective effort, it observed.

The judgment applies beyond petitioners to all eligible LPSC laborers, highlighting the need to value workers' pride and parity after years of central government indifference to similar ISRO protests.