JUDGMENT

R.V. Raveendran, J.—

The appellant union represents the canteen workers of the contractor engaged by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (‘IOC’ for short) for running its canteen at its Western Region Marketing Division at Mumbai. The appellant union filed W.P.No.1267/1999 in the Bombay High Court on behalf of the said workers seeking the following reliefs: (i) a direction to the Central Advisory Contract Labour Board and Union of India to hold an investigation under section 10 of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 (‘CLRA Act’ for short), on its application dated 29.12.1998 and make an order abolishing the contract labour system in regard to workmen in the canteen of Marketing division of IOC; and (b) a direction to IOC to absorb/regularize the services of the said workers. The writ petition was dismissed for want of prosecution on 11.11.2003.

2. Thereafter the appellant again approached the High Court in W.P.No.853/2004 contending that the contracts between IOC and the canteen contractor was sham and bogus and seeking a direction to the Union of India to make a reference of the dispute raised by them in regard to the demand for permanency of the canteen work