'Authorities Exploiting Citizen In Name Of Volunteers': P&H High Court Directs Regularisation Of Home Guard Serving For Three Decades

The Punjab & Haryana High Court directed the authorities to regularise the appointment of a Home Guard who had been serving de facto for around three decades, observing that the state machinery had, in the garb of voluntarism, exploited long-term service and deprived the individual of statutory employment benefits. The Court critiqued the administrative practice of relying on volunteers for essential services without proper service conditions or due process, particularly where such engagement spans decades and the individual discharges duties comparable to regular personnel. The order requires authorities to examine the factual matrix, ensure compliance with statutory schemes and provide appropriate relief — including regularisation or consequential benefits — where equity and public interest demand. The ruling sends a strong message about protecting workers from informalisation by public agencies, and it underscores the judiciary’s role in correcting administrative neglect and safeguarding labour entitlements in public service contexts.