1. Mr. Justice M. P. Menon made a reference order in the following terras:

"Is the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd., a "State" as defined in Art.12 of the Constitution of India? Assuming that it is a State, is it subject to the writ jurisdiction of this Court except for the purposes of alleged violations of fundamental rights? Assuming that S.25F of the Industrial Disputes Act was violated so far as the discharge of the petitioner was concerned, will it afford sufficient ground for this Court to grant a declaration regarding its nullity, in proceedings under Art.226, taking into account the character of the employer? These are some of the questions that arise in this writ petition; counsel submits that other writ petitions raising similar questions are before a Division Bench. This Original Petition is also therefore adjourned for being heard by a Division Bench.".

This is how this writ petition has come up for hearing before a Division Bench. The brief facts are these:

2. The petitioner was appointed to the temporary post of a Stenographer on 17-8-1981 in the F.A C.T. Engineering and Design Organisation (FEDO), a division of the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travanco