TODAY, in a batch of cases concerning the interpretation of ‘industry’ under Section 2(j) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (‘IDA’), appellants, including the Union of India represented by Attorney General (‘AG’) R. Venkataramani (who argued yesterday), along with various state governments, public institutions, and private parties, concluded their submissions before a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice (‘CJI’) Surya Kant. The AG broadly argued that while the ‘triple test’ laid down in Bangalore Water Supply v. R. Rajappa (1978) remains doctrinally sound, its overly expansive application has led to unintended consequences.
The matter is being heard by the Bench comprising CJI Kant, along with Justices B.V. Nagarathna, P.S. Narasimha, Dipankar Datta, Ujjal Bhuyan, Satish Chandra Sharma, Joymalya Bagchi, Alok Aradhe, and Vipul M. Pancholi, before whom the Respondents have now commenced their arguments.
