Authority: Calcutta High Court, Hon'ble Justice Aniruddha Roy
Order Date: August 5, 2026
Case Overview
- Petition (WPA 16960 of 2026) filed by Arvind Pandey, General Secretary of a Majdur Union, on behalf of approximately 172 contract labourers and independent vendors operating at the Kharagpur Railway platform.
- The petition sought to obtain representative capacity under Rule 12 of the writ rules.
- The vendors had been engaged under a profit‑sharing agreement between Indian Railways and private contractor M/s Dynamic International, effective from April 1 2001 and expired on January 3 2023; the contractor’s licence was subsequently cancelled.
- After expiry, the workers continued vending on the platform without any formal recognition or licence from the railways.
- The petition relied on a prior judgment dated January 20 2026 concerning unpaid wages, which the court held was factually distinguishable.
- The railways had imposed a fine on an unauthorized occupant (document annexed) and had initiated eviction proceedings.
- Counsel for the Union of India/railways argued that no legal or constitutional right existed for the petitioners.
Final Outcome
- The court held that the petitioners possessed no legal or constitutional right whose infringement could be claimed; consequently, the writ petition was dismissed as devoid of merit.
- The order was pronounced without any order as to costs.
Topics: Railway Vendor Dispute, Labor Law