Territorial Jurisdiction Over Offshore Rigs and the Application of Umadevi's Regularization Exception

sketch of the Bombay High Court
Case
OIL AND NATURAL GAS CORPORATION LTD v. CENTRAL GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNAL II AND ANR (Bombay High Court, 09-09-2026)
Law
Constitution of India, Industrial Disputes Act.

Highlights of the Judgment:

  • Analysis of the territorial applicability of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, to workmen deployed on offshore oil rigs beyond 12 nautical miles.
  • Distinction between regularization and conferment of permanency within Indian service jurisprudence.
  • Application of the constitutional mandate under Articles 14 and 16 regarding public employment as enunciated in State of Karnataka v. Umadevi.
  • Evaluation of the ten-year continuous service exception under paragraph 53 of Umadevi for irregularly appointed qualified personnel.
  • Limits of industrial adjudicators in creating posts or granting permanency solely based on the completion of 240 days of service.