( 1 ) THE Government of Andhra Pradesh represented by its Secretary, Irrigation and Power Department and other authorities in the said department have filed this writ appeal questioning the correctness of the order of the learned single Judge dated 10-7-1990 made in Writ Petition No. 7902 of 1985 affirming the order of the Labour Court, Guntur dated 11-9-1984 made in Miscellaneous Petition No. 77 of 1982. The respondents 1 to 51 herein filed the above MP No. 77 of 1982 before the Labour Court under Section 33-C (2) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (for short the Act ) claiming the difference of wages in terms of G. O. Ms. No. 242, Major Projects Department, dated 1-6-1977 with effect from 30-4-1976 consequent upon the issuance of G. O. Ms. No. 163, Irrigation (Projects-Wing) Department, dated 11-5-1982 extending the benefit of G. O. Ms. No. 242, dated 1-6-1977 to the direct recruits working in the Penstock Fabrication and Erection Division, Cuddapah.

( 2 ) THE facts leading to the filing of MP No. 77 of 1982 before the Labour Court can be, briefly, noted as hereunder:

( 3 ) THE Government issued G. O. Ms. No. 242, dated 1-6-1977, which came into force from 30-4-1976, extending the pay scale to the NMR workers working in Srisailam Project on par with work-charged establishment employees. The said benefit was initially not extended to the direct recruits working in Penstock Fabrication and Erection Division, Cuddapah. Under those circumstances, the respondents 1 to 51 herein, on an earlier occasion, filed an application under Section 33-C (2) of the Act, but that application was dismissed by the Labour Court holding that G. O. Ms. No. 242, dated 1-6-1977 is not applicable to them. Being aggrieved by the said order of the Labour Court, the respondent-workmen preferred WP No. 6490 of 1979 before this Court and ultimately that writ petition was withdrawn by the respondents-workmen on an assurance made by the Government that the benefit of G. O. Ms. No. 242, dated 1-6-1977 would be made applicable to them also. Subsequently, the Government issued G. O. Ms. No. 163, dated 11-5-1982 extending the benefit of G. O. Ms. No. 242, dated 1-6-1977 to the direct recruits working in Penstock Fabrication and Erection Division, Cuddapah. Subsequently, by an amendment of G. O. Ms. No. 163, dated 11-5-1982, it was clarified that the direct recruits working in Penstock Fabrication and Erection Division, Cuddapah are entitled to the wages in terms of G. O. Ms. No. 242, dated 1-6-1977 only with effect from the date of G. O. Ms. No. 163, i. e. , with effect from 11-5-1982. The respondents-workmen being aggrieved by the said action of the Government, filed MP No. 77 of 1982 before the Labour Court, Guntur under Section 33-C (2) of the Act claiming the relief as already noticed above. The learned Labour Court opining that the rule equal pay for equal work is well established by the several pronouncements of the Apex Court and that the respondents-workmen, who are discharging similar work on par with other workers in Srisailam Project, thought it fit to allow the petition filed by the workmen. Accordingly, the Labour Court by its order dated 11-9-1984 allowed the petition and declared that the respondents-workmen are entitled to a total sum of Rs. 12,07,036. 10 ps. and directed the Government and its authorities concerned to pay the same to the workmen with costs quantified at Rs. 100. 00.

( 4 ) THE Government and its authorities being aggrieved by the said order of the Labour Court preferred Writ Petition No. 7902 of 1985, which was disposed of by a learned single Judge. The order reads as follows:"the NMR workers who were aggrieved by the conduct of the petitioners in not paying the amount as that was being paid to the other workers in the same unit filed an application under Section 33-C (2) of the Industrial Disputes Act. Originally, G. O. Ms. No. 242, dated 10-6-1977 has been passed but that G. O. was applied only in the case o