The Supreme Court today directed the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) to abolish its system of contractual labour and asked it to pay compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each of its 136 workers who were not reinstated after expiry of their contracts.

The Apex court said the Centre's notification of July 26, 2004 pertaining to regularisation of contractual labour is binding on DIAL. The bench also said, that privatisation of airport does not mean the Central government has no control over it.

The bench, however, refused to reinstate 136 trolley retrievers, saying their jobs have already been given to others and reinstatement would lead to an absurd situation. The court passed the order on a petition filed by workers' union challenging their ouster.