India: Employment and HR

Starting a business involves much more than incorporation, taxation and operational planning. As soon as a company hires its first employee, it enters a legal framework governed by labour regulations, employment...

India's Ministry of Labour and Employment has formally notified the central rules under four Labour Codes, introducing significant changes to wage computation, social security benefits, industrial relations frameworks, and occupational safety standards. These rules operationalise India's consolidated labour law framework with digital-first compliance, inclusive welfare infrastructure, and enhanced protections for women, transgender persons, and contract workers.

The Model Standing Orders, 2026 (“MSO 2026”), notified by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on 8 May 2026, represent a structural recalibration of India’s standing orders regime under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (“IR Code”).

Creating safe and respectful workplaces for women is essential for ensuring equality, dignity and participation in the workforce. To support this goal and strengthen the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act), the Government of India has embraced digital solutions.

A sexual harassment and workplace coercion case at a prominent multinational information technology office in Nashik has sent shockwaves through India’s IT sector. What began as individual complaints has now escalated into a multi agency investigation involving multiple FIRs, arrests, suspensions, and a high level internal probe. At the heart of it all lies a critical question: did the system designed to protect employees actually work?

Welcome to the fifth edition of the e-Bulletin (Volume VIII) brought to you by the Employment, Labour and Benefits practice group of Khaitan & Co. This e-Bulletin covers regulatory developments, case law updates and insights into industry practices that impact businesses from a sector agnostic standpoint.

The interplay between social welfare statutes and insolvency legislation continues to generate significant judicial discourse in India.

In a significant ruling delivered on 22 May 2026, the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh, before Hon’ble Mr. Justice Namit Kumar, conclusively held that a sole surviving widow of a deceased government...

India's new labour codes have introduced significant procedural and compliance requirements for employers. These FAQs address critical questions about registration obligations, wage definitions, working hours, welfare provisions, and the transition from old labour laws to the new framework, helping employers navigate the complex implementation landscape.

In the realm of industrial and labour jurisprudence, the burden of proof and the standard of evidence required to substantiate claims of illegal termination or unjustified removal from service remain subjects...

In employment relationships, resignation is often perceived as a simple unilateral act, reduced to a letter placed on an employer's desk. Indian jurisprudence, however, treats resignation as a legally...

Public and private sector contracts in India often end up in disputes not because contractors underperform, but because projects are delayed, disrupted, or changed mid-stream...