SAPAN KUMAR PANDIT vs U.P. ESTATE ELECTRICITY BOARD .

The Supreme Court held that the delay of fifteen years in referring an industrial dispute under Section 4-K of the U.P. Industrial Disputes Act was inordinate and justified the High Court's decision to quash the reference order. The Court emphasized that a dispute must exist or be likely to exist for a reference to be valid, and undue delay may lead to a presumption that no dispute exists. The Court upheld the High Court's ruling, affirming that the appellant's long silence and lack of action for over a decade negated his claim for adjudication.