Balaji Madhukar Konkanwar v. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, 2026 INSC 392 - Doctrine of Estoppel - Unequal Bargaining Power

Case Details

Case name and neutral citation:Balaji Madhukar Konkanwar v. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, 2026 INSC 392

Coram:Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh

Judgment date:20 April 2026 (New Delhi)

Three-sentence summary

The Supreme Court held that the employee, Balaji Madhukar Konkanwar, was entitled to back wages from October 1993 until 20 January 2011, i.e., from the date he became eligible for regularisation (after completion of 180 days’ service) up to the date of his actual regular appointment as Cleaner (Junior). It rejected the employer’s contention that his later acceptance of regularisation from 2011 estopped him from claiming earlier benefits, noting continuous litigation, earlier unchallenged Industrial Court orders, and the employer’s use of unequal bargaining power in imposing fresh conditions in 2011. Restoring the Labour Court’s award of Rs. 8,09,218 as back wages, the Court reduced the interest rate from 12% to 8% per annum and additionally granted Rs. 1,00,000 as litigation costs.