GUWAHATI, Oct 22: The Supreme Court has summoned the Chief Secretary of Assam and issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry regarding the persistent delay in disbursing dues to tea garden workers in the state. A division bench, consisting of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih, criticized the government for not making genuine efforts to settle the overdue wages, questioning, “Why is there no sincere effort to pay the dues of workmen who have worked in the tea estates of Assam?”

During the hearing, the counsel for the Assam government described the court’s order to summon the Chief Secretary as “harsh.” In response, Justice Oka emphasized the seriousness of the issue, stating, “We are dealing with dues of poor workmen. Unless we are harsh, nothing will work out. We understand your concerns, but it is necessary.”

The case revolves around unpaid statutory dues under the Tea Act and pending provident fund (PF) contributions owed to around 28,556 workers from 25 tea estates in Assam, with 15 of these estates operated by the state-run Assam Tea Company Limited. The court also highlighted the central government’s role in resolving the issue, prompting the bench to issue a notice to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The dispute dates back to 2006 when several tea garden worker unions, including the International Union of Food and Agricultural Workers and the Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, petitioned the Supreme Court for wage release. In 2010, the apex court had ordered the Centre to pay ₹645 crore in statutory dues within six months. However, a contempt plea was filed in 2012 after the 2010 order was not complied with.

To address the issue, a one-person committee, led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice A.M. Sapre, was appointed, revealing in its report that ₹414.73 crore remains payable to tea garden workers and ₹230.69 crore to the PF department. Despite these findings, the workers have yet to receive their owed dues.