JUDGMENT

D.P. Mohapatra, J.-The Hindustan Machines Tools Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as HMT Ltd. ), represented by its Chairman-cum-Managing Director at Bangalore and the General Manager and the Joint General Manager (Personnel Incharge) at Bali Nagar, Hyderabad have filed these appeals by special leave challenging the judgment dated 9th November, 1995 of the Single Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Writ Petition No.3425 of 1995, which was confirmed in appeal by a Division Bench of that Court by its Order dated 28th December, 1995 in Writ Appeal No.1710 of 1995.

2. HMT Ltd. is a Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of India which, as described by the appellants, has grown into a multi-unit, multi-product, multi-technology Company having four business groups and 20 manufacturing units spread over ten different States in the country. The Company engages casual workers on daily rate basis depending upon the need and exigencies of work. Forty two such casual workers engaged in the unit of the Company at Hyderabad filed the Writ Petition with a prayer to issue a Writ or Order or Direction in the nature of a Writ of Mandamus directing the respondents to regularise their s