Judgement

GAJENDRAGADKAR, C.J.I. : This appeal raises a very short point for our decision. The appellant, the Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., Jamadoba, filed an application under S. 33 (20 (b) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (No. 14 of 1947) (hereinafter called "the Act"), before the Central Government Industrial Tribunal, Dhanbad (hereinafter called "the Tribunal"), asking for its approval of the action which it proposed to take against its employee, the respondent D. R. Singh. This application was made by the appellant, because certain industrial disputes were pending at the relevant time between the appellant and its employees under References Nos. 45, 56, 63 and 65 of 1961. This application was opposed by the respondent who filed his written statement. At the hearing of the application, the appellant urged before the Tribunal that though it had made the present application as a matter of abundant caution, its case was that it was not necessary to apply under S. 33 (2), because the respondent was not concerned with the industrial disputes which were pending between the appellant and its employees in the different References to which we have already referred. In other words, th