1. These writ petitions are by persons described as small scale growers of rubber in this State. They complain of the implementation recently, of a notification issued dated 20 31974 under the Minimum Wages Act, making the minimum wage fixed thereunder applicable to the agricultural workers under the small scale rubber growers of the State. In some cases, for non-implementation of the Act and the Rules notices had been issued for rectification of defects; in some, things had proceeded further, and criminal prosecutions had been either commenced or threatened for nonconformity with the provisions of the Act and the Rules. The petitions challenge the implementation of the notification and the proceedings by way of criminal prosecution or otherwise.

2. Arguments, addressed mostly by Mr. K. S Sebastian, were an admixture, largely of considerations of hardship and distress and the impolitic nature of the implementation of the notification against the petitioners, flavoured a little, with a tinge of the law. The Write up in the "Deepika" dated 17 21976, and "Manorama" dated 2 41976. were freely indented. The drift of the grievance was that the implementation of the impugned no