Maruti violence case: Verdict underlines the urgent need for labour reform

The urgency for labour reform has never been more compelling.

Maruti Udyog’s management may have derived some sense of closure from the life sentences awarded to 13 of the 31 former workers convicted for the violence at the carmaker’s factory in Manesar, Haryana, in 2012 that resulted in the death of an HR manager and injuries to many senior executives. But judging from the seething dissatisfaction among labour groups in the automobile hub around Gurgaon, the verdict is certain to be appealed against in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. This arduous trudge through India’s judicial system is irksome but it is the least of the problems for India’s