In Brief
K.A. Annamma, dismissed by a cooperative hospital society, filed an industrial dispute complaint under the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947. The Labour Court upheld her complaint, setting aside her dismissal and awarding service benefits. However, the High Court allowed the Society's writ petition, setting aside the award on grounds that the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act exclusively governs such disputes. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that both Acts have concurrent jurisdiction over service disputes between cooperative society employees and employers. The Court applied the ratio of Dharappa v. Bijapur Coop., holding that unless express exclusionary language exists (like Karnataka's 2000 amendment), employees can choose either forum. The judgment was set aside and remanded for adjudication on merits.
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