JUDGMENT

Pattanaik, J.-These Interlocutory Applications and Contempt Petitions are all off shoots of the Judgment of this Court dated 31.1.2001 in Civil Appeal No. 2218 of 1999 and the subsequent circular issued by the Government of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs (Banking Division) in implementation of the directions of this Court. According to the applicants, the circular issued by the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance (Banking Division), purported to be one in compliance with the directions of the Court in Judgment dated 31.1.2001 in effect, is contrary to the Judgment of the Court and is a wilful disrespect to and in deliberate violation of the judgment and directions of the Court and as such, must be held to be grossly contemptuous and the contemnors should be duly punished for the same.

2. The main controversy in the Civil Appeal was, whether on acceptance of any bipartite settlement between the management and the employees of the sponsor bank, the employees and officers of the Regional Rural Banks ipso facto would be entitled to the revision of their wages? While the management and the Union of India vehemently contended that there cann