Summary
FCI appealed against directions extending the benefit of a regularisation award concerning Chennai workers to workers at Kerala depots. The Supreme Court upheld relief because no material distinction on facts or law was shown between these workers’ cases and the cases in which the award’s benefits had been upheld.
Issues
- Whether FCI showed a material basis to deny the Kerala workers benefits extended under the regularisation award.
Held
- The High Court found no dissimilarity warranting denial of the award’s benefits to the workers concerned. FCI identified no distinguishing feature of fact or law; the technical objections pressed did not go to the root of these cases. (¶¶ 4, 5, 6, 7)
- On the totality of the circumstances and the judicial orders concerning identical matters, no ground existed to disturb the High Court’s directions extending the benefits to the Kerala workers concerned. (¶¶ 2, 7, 8, 9)
Result
Both FCI appeals dismissed; the High Court’s directions extending the award’s regularisation benefits to the workers concerned stood upheld.