Judgment

SARKAR, J.: These two appeals have been heard together. The appellants in each case are the State of Uttar Pradesh, for short called U. P., and some of its Officers and the respondents in one appeal are Lakshmi Ice Factory and certain of its workers and in the other the Prakash Ice Factory and certain of its workers. These appeals involve a question of construction of certain provisions of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, hereafter referred to as the Act.

2. By a Notification issued on February 10, 1956, the Government of U. P. referred certain disputes which had cropped up between each of the Ice Factories and its respective workmen, to an Industrial Tribunal for adjudication. The details of these disputes are not material for these appeals. The Tribunal heard the matters but failed to pronounce its award in open court. Instead, on November 8,1956, the Registrar of the Tribunal informed the Ice Factories that the award of the Tribunal had been submitted to the Government. On December 15, 1956, the award was published in the U.P. Gazette an it appeared from this publication that the award was dated November, 8, 1956. On December 26, 1956, the Regional Conciliation Of