In a landmark verdict, the Uttarakhand High Court has overturned a 31-year-old ban that prevented the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) from recruiting contract workers, calling the decades-old government notification “procedurally flawed and unsustainable.”Justice Pankaj Purohit observed that the 1994 notification by the Union Government failed to comply with mandatory provisions under the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970. The court found that the government had not sought proper consultation from the Central Advisory Contract Labour Board before imposing the restriction.ONGC had argued that the prohibition was issued without a comprehensive review of all its operational sites. The sub-committee behind the decision had examined only four out of thirty-four units, resulting in what the court termed a “partial and legally inadequate assessment.”Legal experts say the decision reopens the door for ONGC to employ contract staff, a move expected to streamline project execution and address workforce shortages at critical energy sites. The judgment also underscores the importance of procedural transparency in government decisions impacting public sector employment.The order could set a precedent for other state-owned enterprises that have faced long-standing restrictions on hiring contract labour. For ONGC’s employees and contractors, the ruling is likely to create more flexible opportunities and address skill-gap challenges in the energy sector.