# BHA VNAGAR MUNICIPALITY v. ALJBHAI KARlMBHAI & OTHERS

- **Citation:** [1977] 2 S.C.R. 932
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1977-02-08
- **Case number:** Civil Appeal No. 900 of 1976
- **Bench:** P. K. Goswami, P. N. Shinghal
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/bha-vnagar-municipality-v-aljbhai-karlmbhai-others-7128
- **Pages:** 5

## Headnote

Industrial. Dispufr Act, S. 33 ( 1 )(a), whet/1er contravened by retrenchment
of workers d1tectly mvolved in dispute pending before Tribunal-Contravention
0! s. 33, wl1ether a11to111atically leads to reinstatement uf retrenched workers.
An industrial dispute between the appellant and its workmen including
the
respondents, was pending before the Industrial Tribunal. The dispute, inter alia,
related to the demand for permanent status of the respondeilts w·ho were daily
ra_ted workers of the water works
section of the
Municipality. Meanwhile,
without obtaining the Tribunal's prior permission, the appellant retrenched the
re~pondents. On a ".ornplaint by ihe respondents u/s. 33-.( of the
Industrial
Disputes Act, the Tnbunal made an award holding that tlie appellant had contravened s. 33(1 )(a) of the Act, and directed reinstatement of the respondents.
The complaint was not adjudicated on merits.
The appellant filed a writ petition which was dismissed i11 /i111i11e by the High Court.
Allowing the appeal, but agreeing that the appellant had contravened s. 33
(1) (a) and that the respondents' complaint u/s. 33(1)(a) was maintainable,
the Court restored the respondents' complaint for disposal on merits by the
Tribunal.
HELD : ( 1) The character of the temporary
employment of the respondents being a direct issue before the Tribuna·l, that condition must subsist and
cannot be altered to their prejudice by putting an end to that temporary condition.
This could be done only with the express permission of the Tribunal.
[933-G-HI
Tile Court further observed :
To permit rupture in employment, in this case, without the prior sanction
of the Tribunal will be to set at naught the avowed object of section 33 which
is principally directed to preserve the status quo under specified circumstances
in the interest of industrial peace during the adjudication. [936 A-BJ
(2) I11 a complaint under s. 33-A. even ·if the employer is found to have
t:ontravened the provisions of section 33, the Tribunal has to pronounce upon
the merits of the dispute between the parties. For the purposes of the Act, the
complaint under s. 33A takes the form of a reference o~ an industria! disppte
by the appropriate authority and the same has to be disposed of rn a ltke
ma-nner. f936 C-Dl
( 3) The Tribunal has committed an .e~ror of
i1:1ris~ietion in ordering reinstatement of the respondents and declmmg to ad1udicate the matter and to
make its award on the merits as required under the law. [93Q DJ

## Text

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932
BHA VNAGAR MUNICIPALITY
v.
ALJBHAI KARlMBHAI & OTHERS
February 8, 1977
(P. K. GOSWAMI AND P. N. SHINGHAL, JJ.]
Industrial. Dispufr Act, S. 33 ( 1 )(a), whet/1er contravened by retrenchment
of workers d1tectly mvolved in dispute pending before Tribunal-Contravention
0! s. 33, wl1ether a11to111atically leads to reinstatement uf retrenched workers.
An industrial dispute between the appellant and its workmen including
the
respondents, was pending before the Industrial Tribunal. The dispute, inter alia,
related to the demand for permanent status of the respondeilts w·ho were daily
ra_ted workers of the water works
section of the
Municipality. Meanwhile,
without obtaining the Tribunal's prior permission, the appellant retrenched the
re~pondents. On a ".ornplaint by ihe respondents u/s. 33-.( of the
Industrial
Disputes Act, the Tnbunal made an award holding that tlie appellant had contravened s. 33(1 )(a) of the Act, and directed reinstatement of the respondents.
The complaint was not adjudicated on merits.
The appellant filed a writ petition which was dismissed i11 /i111i11e by the High Court.
Allowing the appeal, but agreeing that the appellant had contravened s. 33
(1) (a) and that the respondents' complaint u/s. 33(1)(a) was maintainable,
the Court restored the respondents' complaint for disposal on merits by the
Tribunal.
HELD : ( 1) The character of the temporary
employment of the respondents being a direct issue before the Tribuna·l, that condition must subsist and
cannot be altered to their prejudice by putting an end to that temporary condition.
This could be done only with the express permission of the Tribunal.
[933-G-HI
Tile Court further observed :
To permit rupture in employment, in this case, without the prior sanction
of the Tribunal will be to set at naught the avowed object of section 33 which
is principally directed to preserve the status quo under specified circumstances
in the interest of industrial peace during the adjudication. [936 A-BJ
(2) I11 a complaint under s. 33-A. even ·if the employer is found to have
t:ontravened the provisions of section 33, the Tribunal has to pronounce upon
the merits of the dispute between the parties. For the purposes of the Act, the
complaint under s. 33A takes the form of a reference o~ an industria! disppte
by the appropriate authority and the same has to be disposed of rn a ltke
ma-nner. f936 C-Dl
( 3) The Tribunal has committed an .e~ror of
i1:1ris~ietion in ordering reinstatement of the respondents and declmmg to ad1udicate the matter and to
make its award on the merits as required under the law. [93Q DJ
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 900 of 1976.
Appeal by Special Leave from th~ Judgme~t. and
Order dated
8-3-1976 of the Gujarat High Court m Spl. Civil Appln. No. 263 of
1976.
P. H. Parekh and (Miss) Manju !etley for the Appellant.
s. c. Agarwal, V. J. Francis and A. P. Gupta for the Respond.ents.
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BHAVNAGAR MUNIC. v. ALIBHAI KARIMBHAI (Goswami,!.)
933
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
Go;;wAMI, J.
This appeal by special leave at the instance of the
Bhavnagar Municipality is directed against the order of the Gujarat
High Court dismissing in limine its writ application challenging the
award of the Industrial Tribunal, Gujarat, made under section 33A of
the Industrial Disputes Act (briefly the Act).
There was an industrial dispute pending between the Bhavnagar
Municipality (briefly the appellant) and its workmen before the Industrial Tribunal ·in Reference No. 37 of 1974 referred to it under section
10(1) (d) of the Act on March 5, 1974.
The said industrial dispute
related to several demands including the demand for permanent status
of the daily rated workers of the Water Works Section of the Municipality who had completed 90 days' service.
While the aforesaid industrial dispute was pending before the Tribunal, ·the appellant,
on
September 30, 1974, passed orders retrenching 22 daily rated workmen (briefly the respondents) attached to the Water Works Section of
the Municipality.
It is not disputed that the appellant had complied
with section 25F of the Act and due retrenchment compensation had
been paid to those workers.
On June 20, 1975, the respondents filed
a complaint to the Tribunal under section 33A of the Act for contravention of secfam 3 3 of the Act by the appellant.
Neither party adduced any oral evidence before the Tribunal but
relied only upon documents produced before it.
On October 30, 1975,
the Tdbunal made its award holding that the appellant contravened
section 33(1) (a) of the Act and, therefore, directed reinstatement of
the respondents.
The appellant preferred a writ application before
the High Court which was dismissed in limine, as stated abovle. Hence
this appeal by special leave.
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Two questions arise for decision .in this appeal. First, whether the
appellent contravened section 33 (I) ( e) of the Act by ordering retrenchment of the respondents who, along with other workers, were directly
involved ·in the industrial dispute pending before the Tribunal. Second,
whether contravention of section 33 will automatically lead to an order
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of reinstatement of the respondents, as has been held by the Tribunal.
It is common ground that the appellant did not obtain prior permission of the Tribunal before retrenching the respondents.
It is vrnll settled that a complaint under section 33A is maintainable only if the employer contravenes section 33 of the Act.
It is
submitted by Mr. Agarwal, on behalf of the respondents, that the
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object of section 33 should be borne in mind in considering the question about alteration of conditions of service under secton 33(1) (a)
of the Act.
He submits that since the respondents were directly
involved in the dispute and the question of their permanent status
from a casual or temporary status formed the subject matter of the
dispute. the reference has been made nugatory by the action of the
appellant in retrenching them.
Mr. Parekh, on the other hand, subH
mits that retrenchment of the respondents does not involve alteration
of conditions of service and hence there is no contravention of section
33 of the Act.
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9 34
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[ 1977] 2 s.c.R.
There is no complaint by Mr. Agarwal that there is
any noncompliance by the appellant with section 28F of the Act. Mr. Agarwal
further rightly concedes that he cannot bring his case under section
33(1) (b) or under section 33(2) (b) since it is not a case of discharge
or dismissal for misconduct.
His entire submission is based on section
33(1) (a) of the Act.
Section 33 of the Act so far as material for us may be set out :
"33 ( 1) During the pendency of any .... proceeding before
a . . . . . . Tribunal . . . . in respect of an industrial
dispute, no employer shall-
( a) in regard to ·any matter connected with the dispute,
alter, to the prejudice of the workm.:n concerned in
such dispute, the conditions of service applicable to
them immediatelv before the commencement of such
proceeding;
,
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save with the express permission 111
writing of the
authority before which the proceeding is pending".
There is a clear prohibition in section 33(1) (a)
against altering
conditions of service by the employer under the circumstances ~pecified
except with the written permission of the Tribunal or other authority
therein described.
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In order to attract section 33 ( l) (a), the following features must be
present :
(l) There is a proceeding in ·respect of an fodustrial dispute
pending before the Tribunal.
(2) Conditions of service of the workmen applicable immediately before the commencement of the Tribunal proceeding
are altered.
(3) The alteration of the conditions of service is in regard to
a matter connected with the pending industrial dispute.
(4) The workmen whose conditions of service are altered are
concerned in the pending industrial dispute.
(5) The alteration of the conditions of service is to the prejudice of the workmen.
The first feature is admittedly present in this case since action has
been taken by the appellant in retrenching the respondents during the
pendency of the proceeding before the Tribunal.
The point that requires consideration is whether the other features are also present in
the instant case.
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BHAVNAGAR MUNIC. v. ALIBHAI KARIMBHAI (Goswami, J.)
935
Before we proceed further we should direct our attention to the
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subject matter of the industrial dispute pending before the Tribunal.
It is sufficient to take note of the principal item of the dispute, namely,
the demand of the respondents for conversion of the temporary status
of their employment into perma!lent.
To recapitulate briefly the
appellant employed daily rated workers to do the work of boring a~d
hand pumps in its Water Works Section. These workers have been m
employment for over a year.
They claimed permanency in their emB
ployment on their putting in more than 90 days' service. They also
demanded two pairs of uniform every year, cycle allowance at the rate
of Rs. 10/- per month, Provident Fund benefit and National Holidays
and other holidays allowed to the other workers. While this particular
dispute was pending before the Tribunal, the appellant decided to entrust the work, which had till then been performed by these workers in
the Water Works Section, to a contractor. On the employment of the
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contractor by the Municipality for the self-same work, the services of
the respondents became unnecessary and the appellant passed the orders
of retrenchment. It is, therefore, olear that by retrenchment of the
respondents even the temporary employment of the workers ceased
while their dispute before the Tribunal was pending in order to improve
that temporary and insecure status.
Retrenchment may not, ordinarily, under all circumstances; amount
to alteration of the conditions of service. For instance, when a wage
dispute is pending before a Tribunal and on account of the abolition
of a particular department the workers therein have to be retrenched
by the employer, such a retrenchment cannot amount to alteration of
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the. conditions of service. In this particular case, however, the subject
matter being directly connected with the conversion of the temporary
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employment into permanent, tampering with the status quo ante of
these workers is a clear alteration of the conditions of their service.
They were entitled during the pendency of the proceeding before the
Tribunal to continue as temporary employees hoping for a better dispensation in the pending adjudication. And if the appellant wanted to
effect a change of their system in getting the work done through a con~
tractor instead of by these temporary workers, it was incumbent upon
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the appellant to obtain prior permission of the Tribunal to change the
conditions of their employment leading to retrenchment of their ser-
- vices. The alteration of the method of work culminating in termination
of the ~ervices by way of retrenchment in this case has a direct impact
on the adjudication proceeding.
The alteration effected in the temporary employment of the respondents which was their condition of
service immediately before the commencement of tl1e proceeding before
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the Tribunal, is in regard to a matter connected with the pending industrial dispute.
The character of the temporary employment of the respondents being a direct issue before the Tribunal, that condition of employment,
however insecure, must subsist during the pendency of the dispute before the Tribunal and cannot be 3'ltered to their prejudice by putting an
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end to that temporary condition. This could have been done only with
the express permission. of the Tribunal. It goes without saying that the
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936
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1977] 2 s.c.R.
respondents were directly concerned in the pending industrial dispute.
No one also deny that snapping of the temporary employment of the
respondents is not to their prejudice. All the five features adverted to
above are present in the instant case.
To permit rupture in employment, in this case, without the prior sanction of the Tribunal will be to
set at naught the avowed object of section 33 which is principally directed to preserve the status quo under specified circumstances in the interest of industrial peace during the adjudication.
We
are,
therefore,
clearly of opinion that the appellant has contravened the provisions of
section 33(1) (a) of the Act and the complaint under se<'tion 33A, at
the instance of the respondents, is maintainable. The submission of
Mr. l'arekh to the contrary cannot be accepted.
That, however, does not conclude the matter.
The Tribunal was
clearly in error in not adjudicating the complaint on the merits. It is
well settled that in a complaint under section 32A, event if the employer
is found to have contravened the provisions of section 33, the Tribunal
has to pronounce upon the merits of the dispute between the parties.
The order passed in an application under section 33A is an award
similar to one passed in a reference under section 10 of the Act. The ·
award passed has to be submitted to the Government and the same has
to b~ published under section 17 of the Act. For the purposes of the
Act the complaint under section 33A takes, as it were, the form of a
reference of an industrial dispute by the appropriate authority and the
same has to be disposed of in a like manner. The Tribunal has committed an error of jurisdiction in declining to adjudicate the matter and
to make its award on the merits as required under the Jaw. The High
Court was, therefore, not right in dismissing the writ application of the
appellant in limine.
We should also observe that,, in the absence of
adjudication on the merits by the Tribunal, the High Court was not right
in holding that the retrenchment by the appellant was "a g!·oss act of
victimisation".
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In the result the order of the High Court is set aside. It follows
that the award of the Tribunal ordering reinstatement of the responF
dents falls and is set aside.. We should also add that the, observations
of the Tribunal wit11 regard to the question of prosecution of
the
appellant under sections 31 and 32 of the Act were not at all pertinent
in an enquiry under section 33A and ought not to have been made.
The writ application in the High Court stands allowed to the extent
indicated.
The appeal is allowed as diretted in this order. The complaint under section 33A stands restored to the file of the Tribunal for
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disposal on the merits in accordance with law and in the light of this
judgment. The appellant, however, shall pay the costs of the respondents as ordered at the time of granting of the Special Leave.
M. ':rt.
Appeal allowed.
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