Judgment

BHARGAVA, J.: This petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India (hereinafter referred to as "the Constitution") has been presented by Sampat Prakash who was the General Secretary of the All Jammu and Kashmir Low-Paid Government Servants Federation. On October 25, 1967, Government employees and teachers of the Jammu Province held a mass meeting making a demand that dearness allowance at Central rates should be paid to them. They further resolved that, if the Government did not accept this demand, the employees and the teachers would go on Dharna on 5th November, 1967. The Revenue Minister of the Jammu and Kashmir State promised dearness allowance at half the rates applicable to Central Government servants. No dharna was started on 5th November, 1967, but, on 17th November, 1967, a notice was given on behalf of the employees to the Government that there would be a hunger strike on 18th November, 1967. On that day, the employees went on a hunger strike for one day outside the residence of the Chief Minister. Then, there was a mass meeting on 27th November, 1967, in which it was announced that, if their demands were not met, the employees would go on a pen-down stri