Are 51-Hour Workweeks Legal? How to Address Concerns with HR in ITeS Companies

This comes out to be 51 hours a week with a 3-hour lunch break.

Most of the employees are working under consultation agreements and are given professional fees, not salaries. Are these working hours legal under the applicable laws? If not, how can this be conveyed to the management/HR?

Overtime Regulations Under the UP Shop & Establishment Act

Your establishment is under the UP Shop & Establishment Act. As per Section 6, more than eight hours of work per day constitutes overtime and must be compensated at double the wages. Being a private ITES setup, it may not be advisable to confront the issue directly, but this blatant violation of the law could be subtly addressed in informal group discussions. Sooner or later, it will reach HR and management, so you can expect some reaction. The Labour Inspector can initiate action in this matter once he becomes aware of this violation of the law.