The petitioner who manufactured and sold jewels at Quilon, applied under Article 226 of the Constitution for the issue of a writ of certiorari to set aside the order of the Labour Appellate Tribunal at Madras, dated 9th May, 1956.

On 19th November, 1954, the Government of Travancore-Cochin State ordered a reference under section 10 (1) (c) of the Industrial Disputes Act (XIV of 1947). The Industrial Disputes set out in the annexure to that order were:

(1) Whether the denial of the employment by the management to Sri S. Venkatachalam Achari, v. Thankappan Achari, G. Kumaraswami Achari and P. Padmanabhan Achari is justified? If not to what reliefs are they entitled? and

(2) Whether the following workmen have been denied employment by the management for the whole or part of the period from 31st August, 1954 to 3rd October, 1954, and if so, whether the denial of employment is justifiable ? If not, to what reliefs are the workmen entitled?

A list of eight names was appended to the second question.

The reference came up for adjudication before the Industrial Tribunal, Tri-vandrum. The labourers were represented by their Union. The petitioner presented a preliminary objection to a jurisd