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Surya Kant-Led Bench to Revisit 1978 Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board vs. A. Rajappa Verdict
The Supreme Court has constituted a nine-judge Constitution Bench to reconsider the definition of 'industry'. This bench will examine the interpretation given in the 1978 'Bengaluru Water Supply' case. The hearing will take place on March 17 and 18. Let's explore the details.
A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will examine what the word "industry" means. They will also see if the wide interpretation in the 1978 Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board vs. A. Rajappa case is still good. The case will be heard from March 17 to March 18.
The bench is headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Other judges in the bench are Justices B.V. Nagarathna, P.S. Narasimha, Dipankar Datta, Ujjwal Bhuyan, Satish Chandra Sharma, Joymalya Bagchi, Alok Aradhe, and Vipul M. Pancholi.
The bench will also determine if the wide interpretation of the word "industry" in Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer’s 1978 judgment should be rethought. In the Bengaluru Water Supply case, a seven-judge bench had given a broad interpretation to the term "industry" under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.
The Court had ruled that any systematic activity carried on by the employer and employees for the production or distribution of goods and services through mutual cooperation could fall within the definition of "industry." This would apply even if the organization did not operate for profit. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant had scheduled the hearing for February 16.
