In Brief
The Kopargaon Taluka Sakhar Kamgar Sabha, a workers' union registered under the Trade Unions Act 1926, faced a dispute over its election programme. The Election Officer included unit-wise reservations and eight seats reserved for women—provisions not found in the Sabha's Constitution. Members challenged this before the Industrial Court, which quashed the programme and directed elections strictly per the Constitution. The appellants challenged the Industrial Court's decision in the High Court, which upheld it. The Supreme Court dismissed their appeal, holding that an election programme must strictly conform to the union's Constitution and governing statute, and cannot be supplemented with innovations or practices, however reasonable, unless explicitly provided in the constitutional or statutory framework.
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