Asha Ram vs Divisional Engineer, Telecom Deptt. ...

The Supreme Court held that the Telecom Department qualifies as an 'industry' under the Industrial Disputes Act, thereby overturning the Industrial Tribunal's finding that deemed the reference incompetent. The Court referenced its earlier decision in General Manager, Telecom v. A. Srinivas Rao and Ors. to support this conclusion. Consequently, the award by the Industrial Tribunal-cum-Labour Court was set aside, and the matter was remanded for fresh consideration in accordance with law.