Bangalore Water-Supply & Sewerage ... vs R. Rajappa & Others on 21 February, 1978
The learned Judge presiding over the Single Bench relying on the division of the Constitution Bench of this Court in Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board v. A. Rajappa and Ors. and also some other decisions of the Supreme Court had come to the findings that the said Department was 'Industry' within the meaning of Section 2(j) of the Act. Accordingly, Section 25F of the Act was applicable in the matter of retrenchment and termination of service of the employers of the said Department. The learned Judge was of the view that as no specific tenure was fixed for determining the service of the Lower Division Clerks employed on daily wage basis, the respondents were required to give retrenchment compensation in accordance with the provisions of Section 25F of the Act. But such retrenchment compensation not having been paid in accordance without the Act, the impugned orders of termination were illegal and invalid. The learned Judge, therefore, quashed the orders of termination of service of the Writ Petitioners and directed that the Writ Petitioners would be entitled to be reinstated with full backwages.