BIJOY BISWAS Vs. STATE OF TRIPURA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. S. Kar Bhowmik, Mr. A. Bhattacharya and Mr. A. Bhowmik, learned counsel appearing for the petitioners as well as Mr. N. Chowdhury, learned G.A. and Mr. D. Sarkar, learned counsel appearing for the respondents.

(2.) All these writ petitions being W.P.(C) No. 1559 of 2017 [Bijoy Biswas vs. The State of Tripura and Ors.], W.P.(C) No.1560 of 2017 [Prabir Baishya and Ors. vs. The State of Tripura and Ors.] and W.P.(C) No.1561 of 2017 [Gouranga Paul and Ors. vs. The State of Tripura and Ors.], W.P.(C) No.1562 of 2017 [Anath Shil and Ors. vs. The State of Tripura and Ors.], W.P.(C) No.1700 of 2017 [Hiranmoy Dey and Ors. vs. The State of Tripura and Ors.], W.P.(C) No.17 of 2018 [Uttam Debbarma and Ors. vs. The State of Tripura and Ors.] and W.P.(C) No.1244 of 2017 [Abdul Razzak and Ors. vs. The State of Tripura and Ors.] are combined for disposal by a common judgment as the common questions of law wade through all the writ petitions.

(3.) The basic question that has been raised in all these writ petitions is that whether the respondents can defy the notification No.F.21(43)-LAB/ENF/MW/Loading/99/4640-56 dated 22.03.2017 [Annexure-4 to the writ petition being W.P.(C) No.1559 of 2017] and the notification No.F.21(43)-LAB/ENF/MW/Loading/99/9176-83 dated 23.06.2017 [Annexure-4 to the writ petition being W.P.(C) No.1244 of 2017 issued by the appropriate government as defined under Section 2(b) of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Section 2(b) of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 defines appropriate government' as follows: