Uber Challenges Karnataka Gig Workers Act in High Court, Receives Interim Relief

Uber has approached the Karnataka High Court to challenge the state's Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025. The company is the latest platform to contest Karnataka's gig worker legislation, according to a Bar and Bench report.

On July 28, Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued notices to the Union government, the Karnataka government, and the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Welfare Board. The court also tagged Uber's petition with similar pending cases and extended interim protection to Uber, mirroring that granted to other platforms.

Uber argues that Karnataka has created a separate social security framework that duplicates the central government's Code on Social Security, 2020. The company contends this state law imposes additional financial obligations on aggregators, creating a conflict with the central legislation under Article 254 of the Constitution.

Karnataka's Act, India's first state-level legislation specifically for platform workers, establishes a welfare board and fund. It mandates platforms to pay a welfare fee per transaction and introduces grievance redressal mechanisms, requiring platforms to provide reasons for worker deactivation in most cases and increasing transparency in platform decisions affecting workers.