MAHESHWARI DEVI JUTE MILLS LTD Vs. LABOUR APPELLATE TRIBUNAL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS is a petition under Article 226 of the Constitution. The petitioner is a public limited company which carries on at Kanpur the business of manufacturing and selling jute goods. It paid to its workmen for the year ending 30-9-1951, a bonus of four annas in the rupee of their net basic earnings during the year. The workmen were not however satisfied, and they claimed payment of an additional bonus of the same amount, namely four annas in the rupee, in respect of the same year. As no amicable settlement could be arrived at, the State Government referred the claim to the Additional Regional Conciliation Officer, Kanpur, who by an award dated 29-12-1952, found in favour of the workmen and ordered that they be paid a further sum of four annas in the rupee as bonus. The amount which the company is required to pay under this award was approximately Rs. 1,10,000.

(2.) THE company preferred an appeal to the Labour Appellate Tribunal and at the same time it applied for a stay of the operation of the award. That application was refused on 7-4-1953, and a subsequent application made by the company to the Tribunal on 10th April for a review of its earlier order was summarily rejected.

(3.) THE company's application for stay of the award was made under Section 14, Industrial disputes (Appellate Tribunal) Act, 1950, which provides that: