State's duty is to ensure ‘living wages’ for workers, not label them as ‘terrorists’: Supreme Court

The Uttar Pradesh authorities should not deliberation of those who protested for higher wages successful Noida connected April 13 arsenic “terrorists”, the Supreme Court said connected Friday (May 15, 2026), reminding the State of its work to supply a “living wage” to workers, successful accordance with the Constitution’s Directive Principles of State Policy

“They were asking for higher wages… Don’t deliberation of them arsenic terrorists,” Justice B.V. Nagarathna, heading a two-person Bench including JustIce Ujjal Bhuyan, told the Uttar Pradesh counsel.

Detained nether the NSA

Appearing for the petitioners — who are household members of protestors detained and jailed by the U.P. police nether the National Security Act — elder advocator Colin Gonsalves and advocator Shahrukh Alam said the authorities person registered aggregate FIRs against the protestors citing the aforesaid conspiracy, and without immoderate preliminary enquiry.

Ms. Alam said the lone tag the authorities could find against the detainees were that they were “left-wing sympathisers”.

Directive principles

“Is it not that the Directive Principles of State Policy necessitate the State to guarantee that surviving wages are paid to workers?” Justice Bhuyan asked.

Ms. Alam pointed to Article 43 of the Constitution which mandates that the State “shall endeavour”, done instrumentality oregon economical organisation oregon immoderate different morganatic way, to unafraid to each workers, including cultivation and industrial, a “living wage, conditions of enactment ensuring a decent modular of beingness and afloat enjoyment of leisure and societal and taste opportunities”.

Instead of fulfilling its obligations, the advocator noted, the State has detained them arsenic “agent provocateurs” of the protestation successful Noida.

‘Tortured successful constabulary custody’

The Bench directed the State of Uttar Pradesh to nutrient 2 young men, said to beryllium detained successful Kasna jail, astatine 2 p.m. connected May 18 successful the Supreme Court. Their household members had besides moved a habeas corpus petition successful the Allahabad High Court to cognize their whereabouts.

The tribunal besides stopped the State from moving these 2 men retired of judicial custody into constabulary remand. The brothers of 1 of the detainees, Aditya Anand, had alleged that the detainees had been tortured successful constabulary custody.

Mr. Gonsalves, appearing for Mr. Anand’s family, submitted that helium was an technologist moving successful a mill and besides ran a room for children. The elder counsel said that Mr. Anand’s speeches astatine the protests were centred connected workers’ rights, adding that recordings were disposable to beryllium his point.