( 1 ) IN this writ petition, which is in the nature of public interest litigation, the petitioner has inter alia questioned sale of some shares of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited ( hereinafter for the sake of brevity referred to as vsnl ) by way of disinvestment.

( 2 ) VSNL is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956. Its shares are listed in several stock exchanges of india as also in New York Stock Exchange. Till February, 2002 its 53% of the equity shares were held by the Union of india, i. e. , the respondent No. 2 herein. According to the petitioner, from various newspaper reports, it appears that the private respondents herein had entered into an agreement some time in February, 2002 whereby and whereunder the Government agreed to sell unto it, 25% of its equity shareholding under disinvestments plan propounded by it. The petitioner, however, is not in possession of a copy of the said agreement entered into between the parties. It is stated that in terms of the said agreement, the employees of VSNL are not to be retrenched for a specified period and in the event of reduction in strength of the employees of VSNL, efforts are required to be made to restore p