# WORKMEN v. RANGAVILAS MOTORS LTD. (Sikri, /.)

- **Citation:** [1967] 2 S.C.R. 528
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1967
- **Case number:** Civil Appeal No. 1065 of 1965
- **Bench:** M. H!Dayatullah, s. M. S!KRI, c. A. YAIDIALl~GAM
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/workmen-v-rangavilas-motors-ltd-sikri-4003
- **Pages:** 8

## Headnote

/ltdustrial Disputes Act (14 of 1947), s. 10(1) (c) and (d) prol'/sO (I)
"Afitcted", if means "inttrested''-Order of reference-Whe1lier should
s!ale why reference was niade to U1bour ('our1--:'Appropria:e GJ1·rrn ..
nrent," tut for deciding,
B
The second appellant was a \\'Orkman in the "~)rk.,hop of ihc Jir-;t resC
pondent company in its Bangalore branch in the Mysore S1a10.
The head·
office of the Company at Krishnagiri, in the Madras State, transferred him
to Krishnagiri, contrary to the agreemeru that he would not be transferred
from Rangalore for ten years.
On the workman raising objections, !he
Company removed him from service.
The Krishnagiri Motor Workers'
Union, a oiajority of whose members numbering more than unc hundrcJ
were employees of the Company, took u~ the workman's grievance, ond
the Government of Mvsore referred the rndus'rial dispute to the Labour
D
Court under a. IO(l)(c) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
One of
the qu~stions referred was : whether the order of :ransfer wus illegal and
if so, whether the workman was entitled to "reinstatement in the Banga·
lore branch with benefits of back wages".
The Labour Court ordered
the reinstatement of th¢ workman in the Bangalore branch.
The Com·
pany challenged the award by a writ petition in the High Court.
The
High Court while holding that the Mysore Government was the approE
priate Government to make the reference, quashed the
award on
the
grounds : (1) that the legality of the removal of the workman was not the
subject matter of reference, and
(2) that the
reference to the Labour
Court could not be justified under s. IO(l)(c), b..:ause the dispute fell
within the Third and not the Second Schedule to the Act; nor under the
first proviso to s. IO(l)(d), because, the Government did not act under
that proviso, and because, more than one hundred persons were interested in and the.refore
likely to be affected by the dispute.
F
In
appeal
to
this
Court,
the
Company
sought
to
support
the judgment of the High Court also on the ground that the My;ore
Government was not the appropriate Government to make the reference.
HELD : (I) The legality of the termination of the service of the
workman wa• included in the order of reference. (532 D-E]
The words "with benefit of hack wages" coupled with the word "re·
G
ins1atement" a .. e <1.ppropriate only to a case of removal.
()n the facls of
the cac:;e, the transfer of the workman v.·as illegal and so, his removal from
senice should be set aside and he should be reinstated with benefits of
back wa¥cs. [532 F-0)
(2) The reference to the Labour Court was valid under the first pro·
viso to s. IO(l)(d). (533 HJ
(a) High Court misinterpreted t~ proviso hy
equating
the
two
words interested and affected.
The members of the Union which sponsored the cnu•e of the workman were in1'rtsted in the dispute, but they
would not necesserily be affected by the dispute. [533 F-0)
"
•
WORKMEN V. RANGAVILAS MOTORS LTD. (Sikri, /.)
529
A
(b) It is not necessary that the order of reference should expressly
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stale that it was because of the proviso that the reference was being made
to the Labour Court. If it could be justified on the facts, there is nothing
in the Act which makes such a reference invalid. (533 B-FJ
(3) The Mysore Government was the appropriate Government to make
the reference, because, the subject matter of the dispute substantially arose
within the jurisdiction of the Mvsore Government. (534 HJ
The proper question to raise is : where did the dispute arise and not
where was the dispute sponsored : that is, whether there is a nexus between the dispute and the territory of the State making the reference.
Ordinarily, if there is a separate establishment and the workman is working in that establishment, the dispute would arise at that place. [534 AB]
Indian Cubie Co. Ltd. v. Its Workmen, [1962) Supp. 3 S.C.R. 589,
followed.

## Text

WORKMEN OF SHRI RANGAVILAS :\IOTORS (Pl LTD.
A
& ANR.
I'
SHRI RANGAVILAS MOTORS (PJ LTD. AND ORS.
February I, 1967
[M. H!DAYATULLAH, s. M. S!KRI AND c. A.
YAIDIALl~GAM, JJ.]
/ltdustrial Disputes Act (14 of 1947), s. 10(1) (c) and (d) prol'/sO (I)
"Afitcted", if means "inttrested''-Order of reference-Whe1lier should
s!ale why reference was niade to U1bour ('our1--:'Appropria:e GJ1·rrn ..
nrent," tut for deciding,
B
The second appellant was a \\'Orkman in the "~)rk.,hop of ihc Jir-;t resC
pondent company in its Bangalore branch in the Mysore S1a10.
The head·
office of the Company at Krishnagiri, in the Madras State, transferred him
to Krishnagiri, contrary to the agreemeru that he would not be transferred
from Rangalore for ten years.
On the workman raising objections, !he
Company removed him from service.
The Krishnagiri Motor Workers'
Union, a oiajority of whose members numbering more than unc hundrcJ
were employees of the Company, took u~ the workman's grievance, ond
the Government of Mvsore referred the rndus'rial dispute to the Labour
D
Court under a. IO(l)(c) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
One of
the qu~stions referred was : whether the order of :ransfer wus illegal and
if so, whether the workman was entitled to "reinstatement in the Banga·
lore branch with benefits of back wages".
The Labour Court ordered
the reinstatement of th¢ workman in the Bangalore branch.
The Com·
pany challenged the award by a writ petition in the High Court.
The
High Court while holding that the Mysore Government was the approE
priate Government to make the reference, quashed the
award on
the
grounds : (1) that the legality of the removal of the workman was not the
subject matter of reference, and
(2) that the
reference to the Labour
Court could not be justified under s. IO(l)(c), b..:ause the dispute fell
within the Third and not the Second Schedule to the Act; nor under the
first proviso to s. IO(l)(d), because, the Government did not act under
that proviso, and because, more than one hundred persons were interested in and the.refore
likely to be affected by the dispute.
F
In
appeal
to
this
Court,
the
Company
sought
to
support
the judgment of the High Court also on the ground that the My;ore
Government was not the appropriate Government to make the reference.
HELD : (I) The legality of the termination of the service of the
workman wa• included in the order of reference. (532 D-E]
The words "with benefit of hack wages" coupled with the word "re·
G
ins1atement" a .. e <1.ppropriate only to a case of removal.
()n the facls of
the cac:;e, the transfer of the workman v.·as illegal and so, his removal from
senice should be set aside and he should be reinstated with benefits of
back wa¥cs. [532 F-0)
(2) The reference to the Labour Court was valid under the first pro·
viso to s. IO(l)(d). (533 HJ
(a) High Court misinterpreted t~ proviso hy
equating
the
two
words interested and affected.
The members of the Union which sponsored the cnu•e of the workman were in1'rtsted in the dispute, but they
would not necesserily be affected by the dispute. [533 F-0)
"
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WORKMEN V. RANGAVILAS MOTORS LTD. (Sikri, /.)
529
A
(b) It is not necessary that the order of reference should expressly
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stale that it was because of the proviso that the reference was being made
to the Labour Court. If it could be justified on the facts, there is nothing
in the Act which makes such a reference invalid. (533 B-FJ
(3) The Mysore Government was the appropriate Government to make
the reference, because, the subject matter of the dispute substantially arose
within the jurisdiction of the Mvsore Government. (534 HJ
The proper question to raise is : where did the dispute arise and not
where was the dispute sponsored : that is, whether there is a nexus between the dispute and the territory of the State making the reference.
Ordinarily, if there is a separate establishment and the workman is working in that establishment, the dispute would arise at that place. [534 AB]
Indian Cubie Co. Ltd. v. Its Workmen, [1962) Supp. 3 S.C.R. 589,
followed.
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 1065 of
1965.
Appeal by special leave from the judgment and order dated
February 27, 1963 of the Mysore High Court in Writ Petition No.
1096 of 1961.
M. K. Ramamurthi, for the appellants.
O. P. Malhotra, P. C. Bhathari and O. C. Mathur, for respondent No. I.
T~e Judgment of the Court was delivered by
Slkri, J, This appeal by special leave is directed against the
judgment of the Mysore High Court in Writ Petition No. 1096 of
1961 by which the High Court allowed the Writ Petition and quashed
the impugned award dated June 30, 1961, made by the Labour
Court, Bangalore, in Reference No. 51 of 1960. Jn order to appreciate the points raised before us it is necessary to give the relevant
facts.
The second appellant before us, R. Mahalingam, was engaged
as a Foreman in the workshop of Sri Rangavilas Motors (P) Ltd.,
the first respondent, hereinafter referred to as the Company, in the
month of April, 1956. By an order dated January 21, 1960,
Mahalingam was transferred from Bangalore to Krishnagiri where the
head office of the Company is situated. Mahalingam entered into
correspondence with the Company alleging that according to the
conditions of his employment he could not be transferred from
Bang!\lore to Krishnagiri. Ultimately, the Company framed charges
against Mahalingam and removed him from service by an order
dated April 7, 1960.
On April 8, 1960, Mahalingam complained
in writing to the Assistant Commissioner of Labour who was functioning as "the Conciliation Officer at Bangalore. Later on; one
Selvaraj took part in the conciliation proceedings on the authority
of the resolution dated July 21, 1960, pa8'ed at the General Body
530
SUPRBMB roURT llBPORTS
(1967] 2 S.C.R.
meeting of Krishnagiri Motor Workers' Union, among whose
members 112 out of 170 were employees of the Company. Selvaraj
filed a statement of claims before the Conciliation Officer on September
I, 1960. The Conciliation Officer reported to the
Government
that
the
conciliation proceedings had failed,
and thereupon the State Government by its order dated
N ovembcr I, 1960, made in exercise of the powers conferred
by
cl.
(c)
of
sub-s.
(I)
of s. 10 of the Industrial
Disputes Act, 1947 (XIV of 1947)-hereinafter
referred to
as the Act-referred for adjudication by the Labour Court, Bangalore, the following points in dispute :-
"I. Whether the order of the management of Sri Rangavilas Motor (Private) Ltd., in transferring the workman
Sri R. Mahalingam, Foreman, from their branch at Fort,
Bangalore, to Krishnagiri, is illegal or uajustificd. If so,
is the workman entitled to reinstatement in Bangalore
Branch with benefits of back wages or to any other relief ?
2. Is Sri R. Mahalingam, Foreman, entitled to arrears
of increments and overtime wages, if so, what is the
amount he is entitled to ?
Selvaraj, inter alia. prayed in his statement of claims, filed on behalf
of Mahalingam, as follows :-
..... .it is prayed that the Hon'ble Court may be
pleased to direct the second party (the Company) to cause
the payment of overtime wages due, increments due (as
mentioned in the annexurc to this statement) as also the
arrears of wages from 1-2-60 to 15-3-1960 and order
payment of back wages with effect from the date of termination of service by setting aside the said order of termination and to reinstate the workman with continuity of
service."
The Company, in reply, contended that the reference was
limited only to the question of transfer, and hence no question of
reinstatement or back wages could be adjud'.cated upon. Further,
the Company contended that the reference was bad because it did
not fall under any of the items enumerated in the Second Schedule
to the Act. It was also contended that the dispute was an individual
dispute. One further objection was raised to the effect that the
reference should have been made to the National Tribunal and not
to the Labour Court.
The Labour Court overruled all the objedons regarding jurisdiction raised by the Company and made the award holding that
both the transfer as well as the removal from service of Mahalingam
were illegal and that he was entitled to overtime wages as well as
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WORKMEN v,_ RANGAVILAS MOTORS LTD. (Sikri, /.)
531
increments. The Labour Court made the following further direction: -
"The workman Sri Mahalingam should be reinstated
in Bangalore branch with full back wages in continuity of the
past service and with same emoluments. The second
party should also pay the arrears of Rs. 4629 /27 towards
the overtime wages and as well as the increments due
Rs. 384". (sic.)
As stated above, the company filed a writ petition challenging
the award. The High Court formulated the points which arose
out of the arguments addressed before it thus :-
"J. Whether the dispute referred by the State Go·
vernment to the Labour Court is an industrial dispute ?
2. If it is such a dispute-
(a) Whether the State Government of Mysore was
not the appropriate Government to make the reference 7
and
(b) Whether the reference should. have been made by
the Central Government to a National Tribunal 7
3.: Whether any dispute relating to the termination of
the ser\iice of the fourth respondent is included in the order
of reference ?
4. Whether the points. of dispute actually referred fall
within the scope of the items enumerated in the second
Schedule of the Industrial Disputes Act and are therefore
within the competence of the Labour Court 7
5. Whethet on the question of transfer there was any
dispute at all for adjudication ?"
On the first point the High Court, agreeing with the Labour
Court, held that on the facts what was originally · an individual
grievance of Mahalingam did assume at the time the reference
was made bythe G()vernment the character of anindustrial dispute.
On the first part of the second point, the High Court held that
the State Government of Mysore was the appropriate Government
to make the reference. On the second part it held that it was for tl).e
Central Government to decide to refer or not to refer the dispute
but the State Government· which is the appropriate Government
in relation to the dispute does not Jose its power of making a
reference.
On the third point the High Court held that the question of
legality or otherwise of the Company's action in removing MahaIingam from service was not the subject-matter of reference to the
M2 Sup. CI/67-5
532
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
(1967] 2 S.C.R.
Labour Court and its award to the extent it dealt with that topic
was without jurisdiction.
On the fourth point, the High Court held that the first proviso
to cl. (d) to s. 10 (I) of the Act did not apply and that the dispute
relating to increments and overtime wages was beyond the juris·
diction of the Labour Court and could not have been validly referred
to it. It also held that the dispute regarding transfer was included
in the expression "rules of discipline" enumerated as item 8 of the
Third Schedule and was therefore not within the competence of the
Labour· Court to adjudicate upon.
In view of these findings the Award was quashed. Regarding
point No. 5 formulated by it, the High Court observed that it was
unnecessary to examine that point, but as the matter had been
argued at some length, the High Court stated. its opinion thereon.
In its opinion, there was no scope for making the order of transfer
the subject-matter of any dispute.
The same points that were formulated by the High Court were
argued before us.
Mr. R.amamurti, appearing on behalf of the
appellants, urged regarding point No. 3 that on its true interpretation
the order of reference was quite clear and that the question of ter·
mination of services of Mahatingam was included in the order of
reference. We have already reproduced the order of reference
and, in our opinion, there is force in what Mr. Ramamurti urges.
It seems to us that the order of referenC:e is quite clear if regard is
had to the words "reinstatement in Bangalore branch with benefits
of back wages." If the words "with benefits of back wages" are not
considered, and with respect, the High Court did not consider them,
the High Court's conclusion might possibly be justified. It seems to
us that by the time the reference came to be made everybody knew
that Mahalingam had been removed from service.
The words
"with benefits of back wages" coupled with the word "re-instatement"
are appropriate only to a case of removal and not to a case of
transfer. On the facts of this case it is quite clear that the contention
of Mahalingam was that the transfer was illegal and if the transfer
was illegal, his removal from service would fall.automatically with
the finding that the transfer was illegal, and one of the appropriate
reliefs that would be given would be re-instatement in the Bangalore
Branch with benefits of back wages. In our view it is
beca~ of
the above considerntions that the word "removal'' was not expressly
mentioned. In this connection the High Court relied on the ·pr')-
visions of s. 10(4) of the Act which reads as under :-
·" 10(4) Where in an order referring an industrial
dispute to a Labour Court, Tribunal or National Tribunal
under this section or in a subsequent order, the appropriate
Government has specified the points of dispute for adjudi·
cation, the Labour Court or the Tribunal or the National
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WORKMEN v. RANGAVILAS MOTORS LTD. (Sikri, ]. )
533
A
Tribunal, as the case may be, shall confine its adjudication
to those points and matters inidental th ereto."
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We are unable to appreciate how this sub-section has any relevance to the question of construction of the order of reference
made bv the Government. It is true that the points in dispute must
be specified, but the point with which we are concerned is, whether
as a matter of construction the point in dispute has been specified
or not, and according to us the dispute regarding removal has been
specified.
Regarding the fourth point, with respect, the High Court misinterpreted the first proviso to cl. (d) to s. 10(1). This proviso reads
as follows :-
"Provided that where the dispute relates to any matter
specified in the Third Schedule and is not likely to affect
more than one hundred workmen, the appropriate Go·
vernment 111ay, if it so thinks fit, make the reference to
a Labour Court under clause (c);"
The High Court negative the plea of Mahalingam on two grounds:
First that there is nothing either in the order of reference or in any
other material placed before it to indicate that the Goverfllllent have
applied their mind to the applicability of the proviso to the facts
of this case or have actually acted pursuant to the proviso in making
the references to the Labour Court and secondly, that there can be
no doubt that more than one hundred persons are interested in and
are therefore likely to be affected by the dispute in question. In
our view it is not necessary that the order of reference should expressly state that it is because of the proviso that a reference is being
made to the Labour Court, and if the reference can be justified on
the facts, there is nothing in the Act which makes such a reference
invalid. The second reason given by the High Court, with respect
is erront:ous because it seems to have equated the words "interested'
and "affected". It would be noticed that s. IO(lA) uses both the
words "interested" or "affected". Section 10(5} also uses both the
words "interested" or "affected". It seems to us that there is a
difference in the import of the words "interested" or "affected".
The Union which sponsors the cause of an individual workman is
interested in -the dispute but the workmen who are the members of
the Union are not necessarily affected by the dispute.
The dispute
in this case was regarding the validity of the transfer and consequent
removal of the appellant. The other workmen would naturally be
interested it;i the dispute but they are not affected by this dispute.
In our opinion, the High Court erred in holding that the first proviso
to s. 10(1 )( d) did not apply to the facts of this. case. In view of our
decision on this point, it is not necessary to go into the question
whether the points in dispute fell within the second or the third
Schedule to the Act.
534
SUPREME COURT llEPOllTS
(1967] 2 S.C.R.
Therefore, the appeal must succeed unless the Company can
satisfy us that the points decided against it should have been
decided in its favour.
This takes us to the other points. Mr.
0. P. Malhotra strongly urges that the State Government of Mysore
was not the appropriate Government to make the reference.
He
says that although the dispute started at Bangalore, the resolution
sponsoring this dispute was passed in K.rishnagiri, and, that the
proper test to be applied in the case of individual disputes is where
the dispute has been sponsored. It seems to us that on the facts
of this case it is clear that there was a separate establishment at
Bangalore
and
Mahalingam
was
working
there.
There
were a number of other workmen working in this place. The
order of transfer, it is true, was made in Krishnagiri at the head
office, but the order was to operate on a workmar. working in
Bangalore. In our view the High Court was right in holding that
the proper question to raise is : where did the dispute arise ?
Ordinarily, if there is a separate establishment and the workman
is working· in that establishment, the dispute would arise at that
place. As the High Court observed, there should clearly be some
nexus between the dispute and the territory of the State and not
necessarily between · the territory of the State and the industry
concerning which the dispute arose. This Court in Indian Cable
Co. Ltd. v. Its Workmen(') held as follows :
"The Act contained no provisions bearing on this
question, which must, consequently, be decided on the
principles governing the jurisdiction of Courts to entertain
actions or proceedings. Dealing with a similar question
under the provisions of the Bombay Industrial Relations
Act, 1946, Chagla, C. J ., observed in Lalbhai Trimm la I
Mills Ltd. v. Vin and Others (1956] I L.L.J. 557, 558 :
'But what we are concerned with to decide is:
where did the dispute substantially arise ? Now, the
Act does not deal with the cause of action, nor does
it indicate what factors will confer jurisdiction upon
the labour court. But applying the well-known tests
of jurisdiction, a Court or Tribunal would have
jurisdiction if the parties reside within jurisdiction or if
the subject-matter of the dispute substantially arises
within jurisdiction.'
In our
opinion,
those
principles
are
applicable
for deciding which of the States has jurisdiction to make
a reference under s. JO of the Act".
Applying the above principles to the facts of this case it is quite
clear that the subject-matter of the dispute in this case substantially
arose within the jurisdiction of the Mysore Government.
(l) (1962] Supp. 3 S.C.R. 589 : (1962] I L.L.J. 409.
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WORKMEN V. RANGAVILAS MOTORS LTD. (Sikri, J.)
535
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Mr.
Malhot:a further urges that the High Court erred in
holding that it was an industrial dispute. We see no force in
this contention. The High Court rightly observed that once the
findings of fact recorded by the Labour Court are accepted, there
is no doubt in faw that in the circumstances of this case, what was
originally an individual grievance of Mahalingam did assume,
B
at tb.e time the reference was made by the Government, the character
of an industrial dispute.
Mr. Malhotra urges that the finding of the Labour Court
that the transfer was illegal was perverse. It is not necessary to
go into this question because once it is held that there is an agreement between the Company and' Mahalingam that he could not be
C
transferred from Bangalore, the transfer would be bad. The
Labour Court had observed that one of the terms ofagreement was
that the Company had agreed not to transfer Mahalingam to any
place out of Bangalore for a period of ten years; the Company
had t\ansferred Mahalingam from Bangalore to the head office at
Krishnagiri and this action of the Company was in contravention of
D
the terms of the agreement.
E
Then Mr. Malhotra tried to urge the fifth point formulated
by the High Court. This point was not taken before the Labour.
Court and we did not allow him to raise this point.
In the result the appeal is allowed, judgment of the High Court
set aside and the Award of the Labour Court restored. The
appellant will have his costs here and in the High Court.
V.P.S.
Appeal allowed
•