( 1 ) THE petitioners in all these four writ petitions seekto challenge by the validity of the Household Electrical Appliances (Qualitycontrol) Order, 1981 and the Electrical Appliances (Quality Control) Order1988, both issued under S. 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (forshort the EC Act ). The two Orders will hereinafter be referred to as the1981 order and the 1988 order .

( 2 ) THE petitioner associations claim to represent persons who carry ontheir business of assembling house-hold electrical items, electrical traders, andalso manufacturers of house-hold electrical appliances. Some of the petitioners themeselves either assemble or produce certain items of householdelectrical appliances or produce components of these items. The respondentsnumbering four, are common in all these petitions. They are: (1) Union ofindia through the Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Department, of Industrialdevelopment; (2) Development Commissioner, Small Scale Industries; (3)Bureau of Indian Standards; and (4) Delhi Administration through the Jointdirector (Electrical ).

( 3 ) BUREAU of Indian Standards ( bis for short) is constituted underthe Bureau of Indian Standards