GREAVES LTD Vs. STATE OF WEST BENGAL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The short point for consideration in this writ petition is whether any person other than a director of a company can be said to be "occupier" of a factory within the meaning of Section 2(n) of the Factories Act, 1948.

(2.) The facts of the case, in short, are that the petitioner-company has a factory at Plot Nos. B-9 and B-10 of Falta Industrial Growth Centre, Sector III, Falta, Diamond Harbour and is known as Power Transmission Unit 2, hereinafter referred to as "the said factory". By a resolution of the board of directors of the petitioner-company on May 27, 1993, Mr. A. B. Ghosh was nominated as the occupier of the said factory having ultimate control over the affairs of the said factory. The petitioner submitted two applications for renewal of licence in respect of the said factory for the years 1993 and 1994, respectively, to which respondent No. 2 sent a reply intimating that "the forms for 1993 and 1994 have not been signed by the occupier, i.e., by ,any of the directors within the meaning of the Factories (Amendment) Act, 1987," and requested them to rectify the irregularities immediately. The said refusal of respondent No. 2 to renew the licence has been challenged in this writ petition on the ground that the directors of a company are not always in a position to have ultimate control over any factory as they may have to operate from a distance and that under the law any person other than a director can be the "occupier" within the meaning of Section 2(n) of the Factories Act. Section 2(n) reads as follows :

(3.) In the affidavit-in-opposition filed by respondent No. 2 it was alleged that there is no scope for nomination of a person other than one of the directors of the company as the "occupier" of the factory by such a resolution. It was denied that Mr. A. B. Ghosh at all material times had ultimate control over the affairs of the said factory. It was further submitted that the petitioners were directed to submit a fresh nomination in accordance with law showing one of the directors as "occupier" of the factory.