JUDGMENT :

The dispute on registration of permanent employees of an establishment as headload workers, in areas covered by the scheme, notified under the Kerala Headload Workers Rules, 1981 once again arises for deliberation of this Court, through these two cases.

2. The permanent employees of an establishment have approached this Court challenging the orders rejecting their applications for registration as headload workers. The employer has filed another writ petition challenging the very same orders rejecting his employees' applications for registration as headload workers. Both these writ petitions are considered and disposed of by this judgment.

3. W.P.(C) No.19841 of 2019 is filed by seven employees of an establishment belonging to the third respondent in the writ petition, while W.P.(C) No.19896 of 2019 is filed by the employer. W.P.(C) No.19841 of 2019 is treated as the leading case and hence the facts of the said case alone are narrated.

4. Petitioners claim to be employed as permanent loading and unloading workers under the third respondent, who carries on the business of sale of sanitary wares, hard wares and other products under the name ‘Steel World’. Petitioners applied to