THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE RAMESH RANGANATHAN WRIT PETITION No.33135 OF 1998 DATE: 14-2-2008 Between: Sri Poosarla Rama Pattabhi …. Petitioner And 1. The Dy. Commissioner of Labour The Authority under Minimum Wages Act Visakhapatnam and another .. Respondents THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE RAMESH RANGANATHAN WRIT PETITION No.33135 OF 1998 ORDER: Heard Sri M.Balaji, Learned Counsel for the petitioner. This writ petition is filed against the order of the authority under the Minimum Wages Act whereby the authority directed compensation of Rs.500/- each to be paid to the 17 workmen engaged in the petitioners’ establishment. On the unit of the petitioner being inspected, by the Inspector under the Minimum Wages Act, on 15.11.1995, the Inspector found that the workers engaged by the petitioner herein were not paid the minimum wages as stipulated by the Government resulting in the application being filed before the authority. The petitioner, however, paid the minimum wages even before the authority passed the impugned order and the authority, in its order dated 24.6.1998, took note of the fact that the workmen were paid the minimum wages subsequently and, accordingly, awarded compensation of Rs.500/- to each workmen. Under the Minimum Wages Act the authority is empowered to direct payment of compensation up to 10 times the minimum wages which was not paid. In the present case, the authority has restricted compensation only to Rs.500/- to each workman, which is far below the maximum which he could have imposed under the Minimum Wages Act. The order impugned in this writ petition does not suffer from any such infirmity which would necessitate interference in proceedings under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. The writ petition fails and is, accordingly, dismissed. No order as to costs. ___________ 14-2- 2008 asp