National Small Industries Corpn. Ltd vs V. Lakshminarayanan

The Supreme Court ruled that under Section 18 of the Apprentices Act, 1961, the respondent was considered a 'workman' as defined in Section 2(s) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The Court held that the termination of the respondent's apprenticeship violated Section 25-F of the 1947 Act, which mandates due process for retrenchment, as the respondent had worked for over 240 days without proper procedure being followed. Consequently, the Court ordered reinstatement with continuity of service and back wages.