N T P C LTD vs K POTHU RAJU

The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Andhra Pradesh High Court regarding the status of canteen workers employed by contractors at the National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd., emphasizing that these workers do not qualify as employees under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The Court noted that the appellant's obligation under Section 46 of the Factories Act, 1948 to maintain a canteen does not create a master-servant relationship with the workers. The appeal was dismissed, affirming that the workers' claims for regularization and benefits were not valid.