JUDGMENT :

R. SUBRAMANIAN, J.

1. Challenge in this Appeal is to the dismissal of the Writ Petition filed by the appellant questioning the award in ID No. 146 of 2001 dated 16.05.2002 passed by the Central Government Industrial Tribunal cum Labour Court, Chennai.

2. The facts that led to the filing of the Writ Petition are as follows:

2.1. The appellant who was working as a full time casual labourer in the Central Telegraph Office at Pondicherry was terminated with effect from the afternoon of 05.04.1998. An order to the effect was issued on 04.04.1998 by the Sub Divisional Engineer, Central Telegraph Office, Pondicherry.

2.2. Contending that the termination amounted to retrenchment without complying with the provisions of Section 25(F) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the appellant raised the industrial dispute under Section 2(A) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The appellant would claim that he was appointed as a full-time casual labourer on 15.12.1994 and he had worked for more than 240 days in a calendar year. He had also attended the literacy test for regularisation conducted by the Department on 20.02.1996. The appellant sent in a representation seeking regularisation on