V. P. GOPALA RAO vs PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, ANDHRA PRADESH

The Supreme Court held that the premises at Eluru constituted a factory under the Factories Act, 1948, as manufacturing processes, including moistening, stripping, and packing of tobacco leaves, were carried out there, fulfilling the definition in Section 2(k)(i). The Court found that the workers employed were indeed 'workers' as defined in Section 2(1) of the Act, as they worked under the supervision of the management, and the appellant failed to provide evidence to the contrary. The High Court's conviction of the appellant was upheld, affirming the necessity of obtaining a factory license.