HARBANS LAL & ORS. vs STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH & ORS.

The Supreme Court held that the principle of 'equal pay for equal work' under Articles 32 and 39(d) of the Constitution cannot be enforced unless there is discrimination among employees of the same establishment. The petitioners, daily rated carpenters at the Himachal Pradesh State Handicrafts Corporation, could not claim wages of regular employees as there were no such employees in their category. The Court clarified that comparisons for equal pay must consider various job dimensions and cannot be based solely on job titles or volume of work. The writ petition was dismissed as the petitioners failed to establish a right to equal pay in this context.