Nitinkumar Nathalal Joshi & Ors vs Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. & Ors

The appellants, employed as contract laborers (Boiler Operators) via a contractor for ONGC, sought direct employment following a government notification prohibiting contract labor in those specific posts under Section 10(1) of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970. The central legal issue is whether a notification prohibiting contract labor automatically entitles the affected workmen to be absorbed as direct employees of the principal employer. The Court examined the statutory framework to determine the consequences of such a prohibition on the employment status of the workers.