Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Tuesday gave a final opportunity to the state govt to place before it complete facts in petitions challenging the long-pending revision of minimum wages and adjourned the case to Aug 20.While making it clear that no further extension would be granted in petitions filed by workers’ organisations, a bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin said the key issue raised in its earlier order (July 28) remained unanswered.The bench observed that the state had not properly explained the legal consequences of failing to issue final notifications under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 before the Code on Wages, 2019, came into force on Nov 21, 2025.During the hearing, Chikkudu Prabhakar, counsel for the petitioners, argued that wages in several scheduled employments had not been revised for nearly two decades and alleged that govt’s latest action would reduce wage benefits and open the door for exploitation of workers.The state, however, contended that workers had continued to receive minimum wages along with variable dearness allowance (VDA), which is revised every six months based on the cost of living index.The court noted that oral submissions alone would not enable it to arrive at a final opinion and directed govt to file a detailed affidavit explaining whether the VDA paid over the years substantially matched the revised wage levels that ought to have been implemented during the disputed period.As directed by the court, a joint commissioner of labour was present in court to assist the special govt pleader. The state informed the bench that a fresh notification, revising minimum wages, was issued on May 30, 2026, and came into effect from June 1, 2026.Taking note of the submissions and recording the official’s presence, the court directed that all relevant notifications, records and legal explanations be formally placed before it by the next hearing and adjourned the matter.
