The appellant union, representing canteen workers of a contractor engaged by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC), sought to abolish the contract labor system and regularize the workers' employment. Initially, the ... union's writ petition was dismissed, leading to a second petition challenging the legitimacy of the contract as a sham and seeking a reference to the Industrial Tribunal under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (ID Act). The High Court dismissed the petition, leading to the current appeal, where the union contended that the workers were, in reality, IOC employees.