Like Legal Law

The Bangalore Water Supply Case (1978):  Citation : 1978 AIR 548, 1978 SCR (3) 207 Facts The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is a government body created to manage water supply and sanitation services in Bangalore. Like any other organization, it employed several workers to carry out day-to-day tasks—cleaning, maintenance, technical operations, etc. A dispute arose when some employees of the Board were dismissed from their jobs , and the matter was taken up as an industrial dispute under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 . However, the Board argued that it was not an “industry” and hence, the Act didn't apply to it. In short, it claimed: "We are a government-run service provider, not a business or industry, so labour laws meant for industries shouldn't apply to us." This led to a serious legal question— what exactly is an “industry” under Indian law? Main Legal Issue The case boiled down to this crucial question: Can a statu...