B. SUDERSHAN REDDY, J.

( 1 ) THE constitutional validity of Section 12-A of the A. P. Co-operative Societies Act, 1964 (for short the Act ) is the primary issue in these cases.

( 2 ) THE petitioners are aggrieved by the action of respondents in proposing to transfer the assets of the Co-operative Sugar factories in favour of private individuals on the ground that they have become sick and there is no possibility of rehabilitating the same.

( 3 ) IN W. P. No. 11937 of 2002, the first petitioner is the Anakapalle Co-operative sugar Limited itself, represented by its chairman. In all other writ petitions, the petitioners are the members and shareholders in Co-operative Sugar Factories.

( 4 ) INDIA is one of the largest producers of sugar and is in fierce competition with brazil for the first position. The country shares about 13. 25% of the world s sugar production and 41. 11% of the sugar production in Asia. It contributes 2% to the national Gross Domestic Product and employs over and above forty million cane- growers and 3. 5 lakhs skilled and unskilled workers, being the second largest agro-based industry. It plays a dominant role in industrial economy of the country. (Source: Sur

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