Bengaluru Metro Falls under Centre; State Cannot Regulate Conduct of Its Employees: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court recently held that the State government has no authority to regulate the service conditions of employees of the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), ruling that the Central government alone is the “appropriate government” under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. (Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited v. Government of Karnataka.) Justice Anant Ramanath Hegde delivered the judgment while deciding six connected writ petitions filed by both the BMRCL Employees’ Union and the BMRCL itself, concluding that the metro functions under the authority of the Central government, not the State. The Court struck down the BMRCL Employees (Conduct, Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2014 and quashed two State government notifications which had declared BMRCL