Finality of statutory entitlements and dismissal of state appeals

Appeals filed by the Union of India challenging judgments that mandate the inclusion of compensatory allowances in overtime calculations lack substantive legal merit and deserve outright dismissal. The concurrent findings and interpretations rendered by high courts upholding statutory wage rights align perfectly with constitutional principles and labour jurisprudence. Administrative authorities must honor judicial pronouncements that invalidate arbitrary executive memorandums and restore lawful wage computations to workers. The financial burden claimed by the state cannot override statutory obligations enacted to safeguard the economic well-being of wage-earning citizens. Public sector employers are expected to act as model employers by adhering scrupulously to the letter and spirit of labour welfare legislation. Bringing a definitive end to protracted litigation over overtime entitlements provides much-needed financial security and industrial peace to thousands of civilian employees. The dismissal of these appeals reinforces the supremacy of parliamentary law over unbacked executive instructions once and for all. Consequently, all affected workers remain legally entitled to their full overtime dues calculated in strict accordance with Section 59(2) of the Act. (Union of India & Others v. Heavy Vehicles Factory Employees' Union and Another | 2026 INSC 74)