INDIAN DRUGS & PHARAMECUTICALS LTD. ETC. vs EMPLOYEES STATE INSURANCE CORPORATION ETC.

The Supreme Court addressed whether overtime wages paid to employees qualify as 'wages' under Section 2(22) of the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948. The Court held that overtime wages, not stipulated in the original employment contract, do not fall within the definition of 'wages' as they are not part of the contractual obligations between the employer and employee. Consequently, the appeals were decided in favor of the appellants, affirming that such payments are excluded from the Act's purview.