Rohan is an adolescent employed at GS General Grocery Store. His regular working hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., which include intervals for rest and lunch. In May 2026, a new manager named Kunal joined the store

Section 7 of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, provides that no adolescent shall be required or permitted to work in any establishment in excess of such number of hours, as may be prescribed for such establishment or class of establishments. The period of work on each day shall be so fixed that no period shall exceed three hours and that no adolescent shall work for more than three hours before he has had an interval for rest for at least one hour. The period of work of a child shall be so arranged that inclusive of his interval for rest, it shall be spread over more than six hours, including the time spent in waiting for work on any day. This section also stipulates that; No adolescent shall be permitted or required to work between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. No adolescent shall be required or permitted to work overtime. No adolescent shall be required or permitted to work in, any establishment on any day on which he has already been working in another establishment. Conclusion: The new shift timing proposed for Rohan is not valid under the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. Although the total working hours have been reduced from six to four, the shift requires him to work after 7 p.m., which is expressly prohibited for adolescents. The Act prioritizes the protection of adolescents from late-hour work, regardless of the number of hours worked. Therefore, the evening shift from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. violates statutory provisions and cannot be legally assigned to Rohan.