Orissa High Court orders SBI to pay to two bank cleaners after 30 years

The Orissa High Court issued a judgment in two appeals (W.A. Nos. 1274 & 1310 of 2025) concerning two daily-wage bank cleaners who served SBI for approximately 30 years. The document matters to citizens as it addresses the legal rights of long-term contract workers regarding regularization, compensation, and the interpretation of previous court orders.

The document concerns Mayadhar Nayak and Baina Nayak (Appellants, former daily-wage cleaners), the State Bank of India (Respondent), and the Orissa High Court (Issuing Authority).

• The Appellants served as daily-wage cleaners/sweepers at the SBI Government Treasury Branch in Bhubaneswar for approximately 30 years (since 1994/1995).
• Previous court orders (2007 and 2008) directed the Bank to consider the Appellants for regularization if vacancies arose and to pay minimum wages, but did not grant unconditional regularization.
• The Bank retrenched the Appellants on 19.07.2025 under Section 25F of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, paying Rs. 3,30,934/- to each as retrenchment compensation.
• The Single Judge had previously dismissed the Appellants' writ petitions (W.P.(C) No.24692 of 2012 and W.P.(C) No.15989 of 2020).
• The High Court Bench (Justices Krishna S. Dixit and Chittaranjan Dash) noted that the Appellants had a 'prima facie case' for relief and that the law tilts in their favor due to the length of service.
• The Court attempted conciliation; the Bank offered Rs. 5 lakh per person, which the Appellants rejected, stating they would accept Rs. 25 lakh per person.
• The Court cited Supreme Court precedents (Jaggo v. Union of India, 2024 INSC 1034 & Shripal v. Nagar Nigam, 2025 INSC 144) supporting regularization for long-term daily wage workers.
• The Court noted that regularizing the Appellants from the date they completed 10 years of service would result in significant financial liability for the Bank.

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