Bishan Narain, J.

1. The Punjab Government on 28-2-1957 issued a notification under Section 5 (2) of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (Central Act XI of 1948), fixing minimum rates of wages of skilled and unskilled employees in private presses. Some of the owners of printing presses have filed this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution challenging the validity of this notification.

2. The Minimum Wages Act of 1948 (hereinafter called the Act) provides a machinery for fixation of minimum rates of wages payable to employees in certain trades specified in Part I of the schedule attached to the Act and it will be convenient to give its relevant provisions to appreciate the objections of the petitioners. Section 27 of the Act empowers the appropriate Government to amend the schedule by adding any employment in respect of which the Government is of the opinion that minimum wages should be fixed and lays down the procedure which must be followed for so amending the schedule. Section 5 lays down the procedure for fixing minimum wages. The Government may appoint a Committee to hold an inquiry and then to advise it in the matter of fixing minimum wages or in the alternative the G