JUDGMENT:

Dr. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.

Challenge in these appeals and writ petition are to the order passed by a Division Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. By a common order several Letters Patent Appeals were disposed of. The Letters Patent Appeals were filed by present respondents on the ground that they have been employed as Electricians since 1987 as workmen under Appellant No.1 i.e.National Thermal Power Corporation in short the `Corporation) for maintenance of Korba Super Thermal Power Project colonies. Though the writ petitioners were not directly employed by the Corporation, but were employed through contractor. Prior to such engagement they were employed through other contractors. It was the stand in the writ petition that their work was supervised by competent officers of the Corporation and the materials for their job were supplied by the Corporation and they worked for the colonies owned and controlled by the Corporation and series of contracts have been entered into by the Corporation with the contractor. It was therefore their stand that they have to be treated as employees of the Corporation.

2. It was stated that the Corporation wanted to avoid absorption of contract