M/S. Empire Industries Ltd vs State Of Maharashtra & Ors

The Supreme Court examined the legality of the Government of Maharashtra's order prohibiting the lock-out of Garlick Engineering under Section 10(3) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The Court held that the government can only prohibit a lock-out if all disputes leading to it are referred for adjudication, emphasizing that selective reference of demands is insufficient for such prohibition. The appeal was allowed, rendering the prohibition order illegal and invalid, thus allowing the lock-out to continue until the factory's closure on April 26, 1999.