Session On Legal Rights
The Rotaract Club of BPIT, in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of Jyoti Nivas College, organized an insightful online session on March 29, 2025, via Google Meet. The session focused on workplace rights and how to avoid exploitation, with Ms. Ashmi Jha, a BA LLB student, as the guest speaker. She began by discussing the concepts of legality and legal awareness, emphasizing that before understanding legal rights, one must understand fundamental rights, such as the right to life and freedom of speech. She distinguished between fundamental rights, which are constitutionally protected (Articles 14–32), and legal rights, such as property and contract rights. Legal awareness, or legal literacy, was defined as the knowledge and understanding of laws, rights, and responsibilities that help individuals protect themselves and others from injustice. She then provided an overview of the session, which covered fundamental rights, employee protection laws, and unfair contracts.
Ms. Jha delved into fundamental rights, explaining key protections such as the right to equality, freedom, life and personal liberty, prohibition of forced and child labor, and the right to constitutional remedies. She linked these to the workplace, particularly Article 23 (forced labor) and Articles 32 and 226, which allow individuals to directly approach the Supreme Court or High Court if their rights are violated. She then moved on to employment rights, explaining their role in preventing unjust termination, wage theft, harassment, and forced labor. She detailed several labor laws, including the Minimum Wages Act (1948), Equal Remuneration Act (1976), Payment of Wages Act (1936), and Payment of Bonus Act, highlighting their importance in ensuring fair wages. Additionally, she covered job security laws such as the Industrial Disputes Act (1947), Shops and Establishment Act, and the Contract Labour Regulation and Abolition Act (1970), which protect employees from wrongful termination and unfair labor practices. Workplace safety and welfare laws were also discussed, including the Factories Act (1948), Employees State Insurance Act (1948), and the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act (2013), with a reference to the Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan case as a landmark judgment.
The session then shifted to protection against unfair contracts, where Ms. Jha explained how unclear job roles, missing wage details, and restrictive clauses (such as those preventing employees from joining certain companies after leaving) can make contracts exploitative. She highlighted key legal protections, including the Indian Contract Act (1872), particularly Sections 10, 14, 27, and 74, as well as the Bonded Labour System Act (1976) and the Companies Act (2013). She provided practical advice on avoiding unfair contracts, such as reading documents carefully, checking for hidden clauses, and consulting a lawyer if necessary. She also covered key laws like the Maternity Benefit Act, POSH Act, Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and Local Complaints Committee (LCC) under workplace harassment laws, and the Factories and ESI Acts. She advised all female attendees to save the national women’s helpline (1091) for legal assistance. The session concluded with guidance on what to do if one’s rights are violated, including identifying the violation, gathering evidence, reporting the issue, approaching the courts for legal remedies, and using alternative dispute resolution (ADR). She also discussed the limitations of protests in addressing workplace injustices. Finally, she provided a comprehensive list of issues, reporting mechanisms, and legal steps before opening the floor for a question-and-answer session. The event successfully empowered attendees with essential legal knowledge to navigate and protect their rights in the workplace.
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