Supreme Court Shifts Labour Rights Beyond BWSSB's Shadow

Gist On August 20, 2026, a nine-judge Supreme Court Bench delivered a judgment on the definition of "industry," hypothetically reformulating the landmark 1978 BWSSB test despite the governing statute having already been repealed. Because the new Industrial Relations Code, 2020 had fully replaced the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 prior to the ruling, the Court's reformulation remains academically prospective and will not affect pending cases. Aspirants must understand this development not for immediate statutory changes, but for the judicial shift it signals: a clear move away from the expansive, worker-protective jurisprudence of the BWSSB era toward a narrower, employer-friendly interpretation under the newly implemented labour codes. Background The Industrial Disputes ID Act, 1947 served as India's primary legislative framework for maintaining industrial peace, offering basic protections and adjudication forums for workers. Under Section 2 j of the Act, defining what constitutes an "industry" determined which workers received statutory protection against arbitrary dismissal and exploitation. In 1978 , a seven-judge Bench in the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board vs A. Rajappa BWSSB case laid down a wide-reaching "Triple Test," expanding the…