B. SANKARA RAO Vs. MINISTRY OF SURFACE TRANSPORT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) All these petitions are filed claiming same relief by different petitioners, but the issue involved in these petitions is one and the same. Therefore, I am of the view that it is appropriate to decide all the petitions by common order taking Writ Petition No.15762 of 2017 as leading petition.

(2.) W.P. No.15762 of 2017 came to be filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India seeking the following relief:-

(3.) The brief facts of the case are that the Visakhapatnam Port Trust - respondent No.2 herein, is a statutory body incorporated under the Major Port Trust Act and that the Cargo Handling Division - respondent No.3 herein, which was previously known as Visakhapatnam Dock Labour Board functioning under Dock Workers (for short "VDLB") functioning under Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1948. The said Statute was repealed in the year 2010 and the Dock Labour Board was merged in respondent No.2"s organization, but is called as Cargo Handling Division. There was a Registered Scheme of 1959 and an unregistered scheme of 1968 in VDLB, through which the workers were engaged for the operations on the ships. Whenever the Stevedoring Companies place indents on the DLB for clearing the ships, the DLB will engage its workers for the said purpose.