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Section4
The Apprentices Act, 1961

Contract of apprenticeship

In force From 01 Mar 1962 Act 52 of 1961 As on 15 Oct 2026

Act 52 of 1961 Ministry Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Enacted 12 Dec 1961 In force 01 Mar 1962

Section 4 of the Apprentices Act, 1961 deals with contract of apprenticeship. No person shall be engaged as an apprentice to undergo apprenticeship training in a designated trade unless such person or, if he is a minor, his guardian has entered into a contract of apprenticeship with the employer. The Act came into force on 01 Mar 1962.

1[4. Contract of apprenticeship.--(1) No person shall be engaged as an apprentice to undergo apprenticeship training in a designated trade unless such person or, if he is a minor, his guardian has entered into a contract of apprenticeship with the employer.

(2) The apprenticeship training shall be deemed to have commenced on the date on which the contract of apprenticeship has been entered into under sub-section (1).

(3) Every contract of apprenticeship may contain such terms and conditions as may be agreed to by the parties to the contract:

Provided that no such term or condition shall be inconsistent with any provision of this Act or any rule made thereunder.

2 [(4) Every contract of apprenticeship entered into under sub-section (1) shall be sent by the employer employer within thirty days to the Apprenticeship Adviser until a portal-site is developed by the Central Government, and thereafter the details of contract of apprenticeship shall be entered on the portal-site within seven days, for verification and registration.

(4A) In the case of objection in the contract of apprenticeship, the Apprenticeship Adviser shall convey the objection to the employer within fifteen days from the date of its receipt.

(4B) The Apprenticeship Adviser shall register the contract of apprenticeship within thirty days from the date of its receipt.]

3 * * * * *

(6) Where the Central Government, after consulting the Central Apprenticeship Council, makes any rule varying the terms and conditions of apprenticeship training of any category of apprentices undergoing such training, then, the terms and conditions of every contract of apprenticeship relating to that category of apprentices and subsisting immediately before the making of such rule shall be deemed to have been modified accordingly.]

Section 4, The Apprentices Act, 1961 (Act 52 of 1961).

Related judgements & precedents

These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.

  1. U.P. State Electricity Board v. Shiv Mohan Singh & Anr.

    Supreme Court of India 01 Oct 2004 Binding (Supreme Court) (2004) 8 SCC 402; Civil Appeal 2429/2003 & batch; Judgment 01.10.2004; N. Santosh Hegde, S.B. Sinha & A.K. Mathur JJ.

    Court's Decision & Legal Precedent

    DATE VERIFIED Judgement 2004-10-01 (order-6.pdf) via get_order_markdown — index and body agree. An 'apprentice' under s.2(aa) is a person who enters a contract of apprenticeship for designated-trade training; that status is defined by the genuine contract, not by registration. An apprentice under the 1961 Act is not per se a workman under U.P. ID Act s.2(z) merely because 'apprentice' appears in the ID definition — the special statute controls.

    On this section: s.4 — contract of apprenticeship: training starts on execution; registration under s.4(4) is directory; non-registration ≠ nullity / ≠ workman status.

    Read the full order on eCourts India

The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.

Questions about Section 4

What have the courts held on Section 4 of the Apprentices Act?

U.P. State Electricity Board v. Shiv Mohan Singh & Anr. (01 Oct 2004) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.4 — contract of apprenticeship: training starts on execution; registration under s.4(4) is directory; non-registration ≠ nullity / ≠ workman status.

How do I find court cases under Section 4 of the Apprentices Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Apprentices Act 1961 4, section 4 Apprentices Act 1961, section 4 of the Apprentices Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with U.P. State Electricity Board v. Shiv Mohan Singh & Anr. (01 Oct 2004).

When did Section 4 of the Apprentices Act come into force?

Section 4 of the Apprentices Act, cited as Apprentices Act 1961 4, came into force on 01 Mar 1962, having been enacted on 12 Dec 1961. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.