JUDGMENT

Dr. AR. Lakshmanan, J.

The employees of Hotel Agra Ashok filed a writ petition being No. 41650 of 2001 in the Allahabad High Court questioning the action of the first respondent - India Tourism Development Corporation (hereinafter called the ITDC), New Delhi to sell Hotel Agra Ashok outrightly to a private party as arbitrary and illegal. According to them, Hotel Agra Ashok is one of the biggest hotels at Agra and is a five star hotel having 58 centrally air-conditioned luxurious room and other facilities. It is also their case that non-implementation of voluntary retirement scheme in respect of the employees of the Hotel Agra Ashok is totally discriminatory, arbitrary, unjust and without any rhyme or reason. It is further submitted that because the Government of India introduced a disinvestment plan with the object to sell the hotel to a private party which is liable to affect the employees very seriously including their service conditions.

The Government of India issued a press communiqui in the month of January, 2001 proposing to sell Hotel Agra Ashok for a sum of Rs.2.36 crores which is wholly inadequate and amounts to a totally distress sale. The Government has devis