Constitutional Validity of the Act
The court heard several challenges to this Act’s constitutional validity. The judiciary; however, was crucial in establishing the constitutional validity of the Act, which safeguards the workers’ rights to education, healthcare, food, shelter, and clothing, among other necessities. The judiciary has declared that paying employees less than the minimum wage is equivalent to using forced labor.
1. Not violative of Article 19 of the Constitution:
The Minimum Wages Act, 1948 was first contested as unconstitutional in the 1954 case of Bijay Cotton Mills Ltd. v. The State of Ajmer. Nonetheless, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that the Act’s provisions are constitutionally permissible under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution and are not unreasonable.
2. Not violative of Article 14 of the Constitution:
Furthermore, the Act is not violative of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution which states equality before the law. In the case of N.M. Wadia Charitable Hospital vs State of Maharashtra, 1986, it was held that fixing different rates of minimum wages for different localities is permitted under the Constitution and the labor laws of the country.