# Supreme Court rules 1978 industry definition not for new labour code 2026-08-20T18:18:05+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Supreme Court of India, by a 6:3 majority, has ruled that the broad, labour-friendly definition of 'industry' from its landmark 1978 Bangalore Water Supply judgement will not apply to the Industrial Relations Code of 2020. A nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant delivered the verdict. The 'triple test' from the 1978 judgement remains valid for pending cases under the repealed Industrial Disputes Act of 1947, as per the majority opinion. Times Now reports that the court said the broad definition under the 1978 verdict is the correct interpretation for the 1947 Act, but the new code must be interpreted based on its own text and context. Rediff adds that Justices B V Nagarathna, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan dissented, particularly on the validity of referring the matter to the nine-judge bench. All nine judges agreed the issue has become largely academic since the 1947 Act has been repealed. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Times Now's report focuses on the court upholding the broad industry definition, while Rediff leads with the fact that this definition will not apply to the new code. The critical frame emphasises a loss for labour, as the expansive 1978 ruling that protected millions is set aside for future disputes under the 2020 code. The neutral reading is that the ruling is a procedural clarification: the old law's broad definition still governs pending cases, but the new law starts afresh, leaving its interpretation open. Watch for the detailed judgment on how the 2020 code will now be interpreted. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Leads with court upholding broad definition, mentions new code's independence without emphasis on dissent - rediff.com (neutral report) Leads with ruling that 1978 definition does not apply to new code, details dissent and majority split This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-20T19:41:21+00:00. Tags: Bangalore Water Supply, Industrial Disputes Act, Industrial Relations Code, Supreme Court, Surya Kant Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-upholds-broad-industry-definition-under-industrial-disputes-act/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-upholds-broad-industry-definition-under-industrial-disputes-act/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/