Mumbai: On Monday, the Bombay High Court instructed the state government and its officials to strictly follow the recommendations provided by the Amicus Curiae aiding the court, aimed at improving the conditions of sugarcane workers in the drought-affected Marathwada region. The court also directed that these measures be implemented starting from the next sugarcane cutting season, from October 2025 to March of the following year, reported The Indian Express.
Mihir Desai, a senior advocate serving as Amicus Curiae in the case, proposed several changes to address the struggles of migrant sugarcane workers who move to Western Maharashtra for work. His recommendations include introducing a law similar to one that protects Mathadi workers, who carry heavy loads, and restructuring the Gopinath Munde Sugarcane Labourers Welfare Board to make it more effective in addressing workers’ needs.
Additional Government Pleader Priyabhushan Kakade, representing the state, informed the court that the government has accepted all suggestions and will implement them in the next cutting season. While the High Court welcomed this commitment, it also warned the state government against delaying action and reminded officials that they still have responsibilities before the next season begins.
The court has asked the government to submit a progress report by the last week of November 2025, when the matter will be reviewed again.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Makarand S Karnik was hearing the case, which began in 2023 after a news report highlighted the harsh conditions faced by sugarcane workers from Beed, Dharashiv, Jalna, Latur, and parts of Nanded and Parbhani. These workers migrate to sugar-producing districts like Sangli, Kolhapur, Pune, Satara, Solapur, and Ahmednagar, where they often endure extreme hardship.
Maharashtra is the second-largest sugar-producing state in India, contributing to one-third of the country’s total sugar production. The state has 210 sugar mills, with 104 privately owned and 106 run by farmer cooperatives. Each year, an estimated 10 to 12 lakh workers migrate within the state for sugarcane cutting, pruning, and transportation, working under very difficult conditions.
The court was informed that sugarcane worker couples earn only about Rs366 per tonne for cutting and loading sugarcane. This low wage forces many of them into a cycle of debt and bonded labour.
Desai highlighted that both the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court have previously ruled that sugarcane cutters should be officially recognized as workmen under the Industrial Disputes Act. He also noted that three expert committees had studied the issue in the past, but their reports were never implemented.
The Maharashtra government has issued several policies to help sugarcane workers, but Desai argued that these have not been enforced properly. He urged the state to classify sugarcane workers under the Bonded Labour Act, which would make them eligible for national rehabilitation programs.
Desai also called for the enforcement of labour laws, including the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, of 1970, and the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, of 1979. He stressed the need for sugarcane workers to be registered under these laws to protect their rights and improve their working conditions.
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