Jharkhand HC says Valmont was principal employer in JSCA stadium accident
Ranchi, July 8: The Jharkhand High Court has modified compensation orders passed by the Labour Court in connection with the 2016 accident…
Ranchi, July 8: The Jharkhand High Court has modified compensation orders passed by the Labour Court in connection with the 2016 accident at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi that claimed the lives of three technicians. The court held that M/s Valmont Structures India Private Limited was the principal employer and that contractor Gulab Khan was the immediate employer of the deceased workers under the Employees’ Compensation Act.
Labour Court Order Modified
Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi partly allowed three appeals filed by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) while dismissing three appeals filed by Valmont Structures India Private Limited.
The High Court modified the Labour Court’s March 2, 2023 order, which had awarded compensation of over Rs 15.67 lakh each to the families of the three deceased workers.
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Court’s Findings
The case relates to the deaths of three electrical technicians—Md. Ifthekhar, Md. Shahbaz Ansari alias Shahzada Khan and Alim Ansari—who died on September 7, 2016, after a trolley carrying them collapsed while they were carrying out floodlight repair work at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi.
After examining the evidence, the High Court held that the deceased were employed by Valmont Structures India Private Limited and that Gulab Khan was its subcontractor. The court observed that installation and electrical work formed part of Valmont’s business and not that of JSCA, which manages and administers cricket.
JSCA Free to Recover Compensation
The court noted that JSCA had already paid compensation to the claimants pursuant to the Labour Court’s orders. It granted JSCA liberty to continue proceedings before the Labour Court to recover the amount from Valmont Structures India Private Limited and Gulab Khan in accordance with Section 12 of the Employees’ Compensation Act.
The High Court partly allowed JSCA’s appeals and dismissed the appeals filed by Valmont Structures India Private Limited, disposing of all connected matters.
