Judgment

KHALID, J. :- This is a representative action brought on behalf of the Contract Labourers, working with the Food Corporation of India, the first respondent in the writ petition, distressed by the unhelpful attitude of both the Central and the State Governments in not redressing their grievances for either departmentalising them or in the alternative .extending to them the benefit of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 (for short The Act). The petitioners complaint is that the Central and the State Governments play hide and seek, one pointing to the other as the appropriate Government under the provisions of the Act and thus denying to them what is their due.

2. The first respondent is the Food Corporation of India (hereinafter called The Corporation); the second respondent: Union of India the third respondent : Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) and respondent 4 to 22, various State Governments. The Corporation has been entrusted by the second respondent with the duty of procuring food grains and its movement and distribution throughout the country. The corporation employs for the discharge of this work three types of labourers : (1) departmentalised la