JUDGMENT

Altamas Kabir, J. — Five different writ petitions were filed by the different respondents in these special leave petitions before the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad against the awards made by the Industrial Tribunal on 20th June, 1998. The said writ petitions having been allowed by a common judgment dated 15th April, 2005, the petitioner herein, which was the common respondent in all the writ petitions, has filed these special leave petitions questioning the judgment and order of the Allahabad High Court.

2. The writ petitioners/respondents herein claimed to have been appointed by the petitioner between the years 1987-1991 and it is their case that they worked continuously from the date of their appointment till they were retrenched in the years 1994 and 1995 respectively. The specific case made out by the respondents is that although they have worked continuously from the date of their appointment for more than 240 days in a calendar year, they have been illegally retrenched from service in violation of the provisions of Section 6 N of the U.P. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (for short ‘the U.P. Act’).

3. The respondents raised a dispute relating to their retrenchment