Telangana HC pulls up Zomato for arbitrarily blocking delivery agent’s ID

Khaleel had reportedly maintained a high performance rating of 4.85 on the platform but was abruptly blocked without any prior notice, which pushed his family into acute financial distress.

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday, November 27, issued a notice to Zomato after it blocked a delivery agent’s ID without a transparent explanation.

According to a press release from the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), the petitioner, Mohd Khaleel Ahmed, is the sole breadwinner of his family.

In November last year, his ID was blocked by the food delivery platform, citing “behavioural issues”.

Khaleel had reportedly maintained a high performance rating of 4.85 but was abruptly blocked without any prior notice, which pushed his family into acute financial distress.

He then filed a complaint with the labour commissioner in December. Two notices were sent to Zomato; one in February and the other in May, but he received no response.

He also filed a grievance with the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS). However, in June this year, the joint commissioner expressed helplessness due to the company’s non-cooperation and advised him to approach an appropriate legal forum.

The matter came up for hearing in the High Court, where the petitioner’s counsel argued that an aggregator company like Zomato cannot arbitrarily block the ID of a worker on vague, undisclosed allegations, as this violates the worker’s fundamental rights, including the right to livelihood under Article 21 and the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.

They also contended that the state and labour department failed in their constitutional and statutory duty to protect gig and platform workers by allowing the company to ignore official notices and by ultimately telling the worker to seek remedies elsewhere instead of ensuring effective enforcement.

After hearing the arguments, Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka issued a notice to the state government and Zomato.

The TGPWU has strongly condemned Zomato’s actions and called for the immediate reinstatement of Khaleel’s ID with all consequential benefits and payment of suitable compensation for the harassment, trauma, and loss of livelihood suffered.

They have also called for recognition of gig and platform workers as “workers” in substance, by providing them with effective social security, due process safeguards, and protection against arbitrary delisting or deactivation.