Food Corporation Of India vs Gen.Secy., Fci India Emplpyees Union

2) In   order   to   appreciate   the   short   controversy   involved   in these appeals, few relevant facts need to be mentioned infra.

3) The appellant is a Government of India Undertaking known as   “Food   Corporation   of  India” (hereinafter  referred to  as  “the FCI”).     The   appellant   is   engaged   in   the   business   of   sale, procurement, storage and distribution of food grains.

4) In   order   to   carry   out   their   business   activities,   which   are spread   all   over   the   country,   the   appellant   has   established   its Branch   offices   in   every   State.   One   such   Branch   office   is   at Chennai   (TN).   The   appellant   has   employed   a   large   number   of employees   to   carry   out   its   business   operations   through   their Chennai   Branch   office   with   which   we   are   concerned   in   these appeals.

6) The   case   of   the   appellant   (FCI),   in   substance,   was   that these (955) employees were/are never the employees of the FCI but   were/are   the   employees   of   a     contract   labourers’   Society though working in the establishment of the FCI for doing their work. It was stated that due to this reason, they are not entitled to claim the status of the employees of the FCI and nor are they entitled to claim any regularization of their services in the set up of the FCI as the employees of the FCI.  It was stated that their remedy, if any, would be against the contract labourers’ Society engaged by the FCI but not against the FCI.

3) The appellants claiming to be working as clerical staff filed writ   petitions   against   the   Food   Corporation   of   India­ FCI(Respondent   No.   1   herein)   in   the   Kerala   High   Court   and prayed   therein   that   their   services   be   regularized   on   their respective posts on which they were working since 1997 in the set   up   of   FCI.     In   other   words,   the   appellants   (petitioners therein) claimed a relief of regularization of their services in the set up of FCI as regular employees of the FCI.

24) In the light of the foregoing discussion and examining the issues   arising   in   these  appeals  from  all  angles, we  are  of  the considered opinion that the appellant (FCI) failed to make out any case, which may call for any interference in the impugned order.

25) In view of the foregoing discussion, the appeals fail and are accordingly dismissed.

5) The   Single   Judge   of   the   High   Court,   by   order   dated 16.01.2002,   dismissed   the   appellants’   writ   petitions.   The appellants felt aggrieved and filed intra court appeals before the Division   Bench.   By   impugned   order,   the   Division   Bench dismissed   the   appeals   and   affirmed   the   order   of   the   Single Judge, which has given rise to filing of these appeals by special leave by the unsuccessful writ petitioners.

7) In our considered opinion, the writ Court and the Division Bench were right in dismissing the appellants’ writ petitions and we do not find any reason to differ with the view taken by the two Courts below.

12) The appeals are thus found to be devoid of any merit.  They are accordingly dismissed.

3) The   present   two   appeals   appeals   are   filed   by   the   FCI against   the   Workers’   Union   of   different   branches,   the   only difference   being   that   the   Civil   Appeal   No.10499   of   2011   and Civil Appeal No.10511 of 2011 relate to employees working in 17 Chennai Branch Office of FCI, whereas the present appeals (C.A. Nos.10530/2001 and 7961/2014) relate to employees working in depots at West Hills Mavelikkare and Chelakkudy in State of Kerala and, therefore, these appeals came to be decided by the High Court of Kerala.

4) In short, the facts of the present two appeals are that the writ   petitions   were   filed   by   the   workers’   Union   against   the appellant (FCI) seeking a mandamus against the appellant (FCI) directing them to implement the award (Ex.P­1) passed by the Industrial Tribunal, Chennai also in relation to the employees working in Branch offices at Kerala named above.

6) The   High   Court,     by   impugned   order,   allowed   the   writ petitions filed by the workers’ Union (respondents herein) and directed   the   FCI   to   give   benefits   of   the   said   award   to   the 18 members   of   the   workers’   Union   (respondent   herein),   who   are working in two depots at Kerala finding no dissimilarity in two set of these cases.

9) In the light of the foregoing discussion, these appeals also fail and are accordingly dismissed.

August 20, 2018  20