K. Ramaswamy, J. - (1.) Leave granted.
(2.) These appeals by special leave arise from the judgment of the Division Bench of the Bombay High Court dated April 28, 1992 made in Appeal No. 146 of 1990 and batch. The facts in appeal arising out of S.L.P. No.7417/92, are sufficient to decide the questions of law that have arisen in these appeals. The appellant initially was a statutory authority under International Airport Authority of India Act, 1971 (for short, IAAI Act) and on its repeal by the Airports Authority of India Act, 1994 was amalgamated with National Airport Authority (for short, the NAA) under single nomenclature, namely, IAAI. The IAAI is now reconstituted as a company under Companies Act, 1956.
(3.) The appellants engaged, as contract laour, the respondent unions members, for sweeping, cleaning, dusting and watching of the buildings owned and occupied by the appellant. The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 (for short, the Act) regulates registration of the establishment of principal employer, the contractor engaging and supplying the contract labour in every establishment in which 20 or more workmen are employed on any day of the preceding 12 months as contract labour. The Act had come into force from September 5, 1970, the appellant had obtained on September 20, 1971 a certificate of registration from Regional Labour Commissioner (Central) under the Act, The Central Government, exercising the power under Section 10 of the Act, on the basis of recommendation and in consultation with the Central Advisory Board constituted under Section 10(1) of the Act, issued a notification on December 9, 1976 prohibiting "employment of contract labour on and from December 9, 1976 for sweeping, cleaning, dusting and watching of buildings owned or occupied by the establishment in respect of which the appropriate Government under the said Act is the Central Government. "However, the said prohibition was not to apply to "outside cleaning and other maintenance operations of multi-storeyed buildings where such cleaning or maintenance cannot be carried out except with specialised experience." It would appear that Regional Labour Commissioner (Central) Bombay by letter dated January 20, 1972 informed the appellant that the State Government is the appropriate Government under the Act, Therefore, by proceedings dated May 22, 1973 the Regional Labour Commissioner (Central) had revoked the registration. By Amendment Act 46 of 1982, the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (for short, ID Act) was made applicable to the appellant and was brought on statute book specifying the appellant as one of the industries in relation to which the Central Government is the appropriate Government and the appellant has been carrying on its business "by or under its authority" with efect from August 21, 1982. The Act was amended bringing within its ambit the Central Government as appropriate Government by amendment Act 14 of 1986 with effect from January 28, 1986.;