CHUNNU Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) These are three connected cases in which an identical question of law arises for consideration and we consequently propose to dispose them of by this common judgment. These cases which should normally have been heard by a learned single Judge have been heard by a Division Bench as a result of a reference to a larger Bench made by our brother Hamid Hussain, J. in the circumstances set out below:

(2.) When the reference and the connected revisions came up for hearing before Hamid Husain, J., the validity of the relevant Notifications issued by the State Government Under Sec. 4 of the Act was challenged. The learned single Judge was of the view that the legal questions raised in support of the reference and the revisions were important enough to merit consideration by a larger Bench and consequently he made this reference as a result of which these cases have come up before us.

(3.) The question of law which arises for consideration in these cases has been framed by Mohd. Hamid Husain, J. as follows: