Judgment :-

Anil R. Dave, J.

1. Being aggrieved by the common Judgment dated 24th February, 2005 delivered by the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam in W.P.(C) No.5795/2004, W.P.(C) No.5877/2004, W.P.(C) No.5984/2004 and O.P. No.9816/2001, the appellants, original petitioners before the High Court have approached this Court by way of these appeals.

2. The facts giving rise to the present appeals, in a nut-shell, are as under:

The appellants are businessmen having their manufacturing units in the State of Kerala and they are manufacturing different articles with the help of electricity, which is generated/supplied by the Kerala State Electricity Board (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Board’). The respondent-Government was desirous of having industrial development in the State of Kerala and therefore, it had framed certain policies so as to encourage and invite businessmen for setting up their manufacturing units in the State of Kerala. Due to shortage of electricity supply in the State of Kerala, interested entrepreneurs were not inclined to set up their units in the State of Kerala. In view of the aforestated circumstances, the State Government had laid down a policy whereby it declared