( 1 ) AN employee whose service was terminated on 14/08/1975 raised in industrial dispute which was referred to tee Labour Court at Surat under secs. 9 and 10 (1) (c) of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947 (hereinafter referred to as the Act) for adjudication in accordance with law. By an Award dated 8/10/1979 Annexure XX the Presiding Officer? Labour Court Surat ordered reinstatement (with backwages) of the employee concerned. The employee has approached this Court by way of an application under the Contempt of Courts Act 1971 for punishing the employer Company and its Manager respondents nos. 1 and 2 herein for wilful noncompliance with the directions given by the Labour Court. The respondents have contended that there exists a dispute in regard to the interpretation of the directions issued by the Labour Court as regards the basis on which the backwages were to be computed. And that is why the petitioner was asked by them to make recourse to sec. 36a of the Act and that instead of doing so the petitioner had approached the High Court by way of the present petition which according to them was not maintainable.

( 2 ) IN order to understand the dispute a few facts req