A viral social media rumour claiming the Supreme Court had ordered a mandatory Rs 5,100 Diwali bonus by 5 November has prompted the Noida labour department to register an FIR and warn against factory-floor protests built on fabricated information.
Noida’s Additional Labour Commissioner Rakesh Dwivedi said the claim was false and that an investigation was underway, per the ANI wire report filed on 31 October 2026. The viral message had circulated widely on WhatsApp and other platforms in industrial areas across Noida and Greater Noida, where around 300 workers in several units reportedly gathered to press the demand before the labour department intervened. The appeal came six months after large-scale factory workers’ protests had swept Noida in April 2026 over minimum wages.
“This is false and fabricated news, spread on social media by disruptive elements. The police have taken cognisance of the matter; an FIR has been registered, and an investigation is underway. Those responsible will be held accountable, and action will be taken against them,” Dwivedi told ANI.
Dwivedi clarified the statutory position. Workers must have completed at least 30 days of work during the financial year 2025-26, from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, for bonus eligibility, and the company must be at least five years old and profitable.
“Employees who joined on or after April 1, 2026, will be eligible for a bonus next year. The deadline for bonus disbursement is November 30, 2026. I urge all our workers and employees not to believe such fake or fabricated news,” he said.
The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, sets statutory bonus at 8.33% to 20% of eligible wages for workers earning up to a notified wage ceiling. The misinformation fits a pattern seen in previous festive seasons, when fake court orders have been circulated to trigger demands on employers. Dwivedi urged workers to verify information through the labour department, police or district administration rather than act on unverified claims, especially given Noida’s recent history of large-scale factory unrest.
