Games the State Plays: A Follow-up Report on the Violations of Workers’ Rights in Commonwealth Games Related Construction Sites

The Commonwealth Games have been an eye opener in several ways. Behind the glitz of fancy stadiums, hotels, and apartments, lies the murky and sensitive death knell of a large majority of people whose livelihoods and habitats are at stake and who have become cheap pawns in the Commonwealth jamboree. In a PIL filed in the Supreme Court at the time of the 1982 Asian Games regarding violations of labour laws, the Court had given a very strong judgment vindicating PUDR’s claims. However, in that case, the workers did not get much relief because by the time the judgment came, the construction work was already over. This time around, while the MC appointed by the HC court submitted its report well in time which allowed the violations to become public knowledge through widespread coverage in the media, it is disheartening to see history being repeated. The connivance of state agencies with the construction companies in perpetuating crimes remains unbroken.The rule of law, especially labour law, seems to have lost all its sanctity with government agencies shamelessly closing their eyes to blatant abuse of constitutional norms. In a scenario where the state institutions fail to deliver on their constitutional responsibilities, where rulings and judgments of even the highest court of the country are not taken seriously, where the authorities are not shamed even by the media coverage of their criminal neglect, what is the way out? [PUDR Report]