Jawad (Madhya Pradesh): The Industrial Court in Indore ruled against the management of UltraTech Cement’s Khor plant in Jawad Industrial Area in two separate cases related to employee retirement, dealing a major legal setback to the company.
The court declared the practice of retiring workers at the age of 58 illegal and directed the company to reinstate employees Deepak Kulshreshtha and Udyami Ram Jat from June 1, 2026, along with payment of full salary arrears and pending benefits.
CITU state secretary Shailendra Singh Thakur said the Madhya Pradesh government amended the industrial standing orders in 2014 and increased the retirement age of industrial workers from 58 to 60 years through an official gazette notification.
Despite this, the company allegedly continued forcing employees to retire at 58.
The workers challenged the action before the Industrial Court, where advocate BS Shekhawat represented them.
The management had earlier faced setbacks in labour courts and the Indore High Court, but still pursued the matter up to the Supreme Court. A recent Lok Adalat mediation also failed to resolve the dispute.
Following the verdict, workers at the Khor plant celebrated the decision and described it as a landmark victory for labour rights and a ray of hope for other employees allegedly retired under similar circumstances.
