Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 · Chapter IV: Licensing of Contractors
Section 12: Licensing of contractors
The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 was repealed and replaced by the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 from 21 November 2025. It still applies to matters and proceedings from before that date, as the repealing law provides.
(1) With effect from such date as the appropriate Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint, no contractor to whom this Act applies, shall undertake or execute any work through contract labour except under and in accordance with a licence issued in that behalf by the licensing officer.
(2) Subject to the provisions of this Act, a licence under sub-section (1) may contain such conditions including, in particular, conditions as to hours of work, fixation of wages and other essential amenities in respect of contract labour as the appropriate Government may deem fit to impose in accordance with the rules, if any, made under section 35 and shall be issued on payment of such fees and on the deposit of such sum, if any, as security for the due performance of the conditions as may be prescribed.
Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the text of the Act as it stood before its repeal. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 12
- Indian Oil Corporation Ltd v. UOI & Ors
- Steel Authority of India Ltd. & Anr. v. Jaggu & Ors. Etc.
- The Director Steel Authority of India Ltd.V. Ispat Khadan Janta Mazdoor Union v. Ispat Khadan Janta Mazdoor Union
- Workmen of Nilgiri Coop. Mkt. Society Ltd. v. State of Tamil Nadu and Ors.
- Steel Authority of India Ltd. and Ors. Etc. Etc. v. National Union Water Front Workers and Ors, Etc. Etc.
- Hindustan Steelworks Construction Ltd. v. The Commissioner of Labour and Ors.
- Labourers Working on Salal Hydro-Project v. State of Jammu & Kashmir and Others