Rangaswami v Registrar of Trade Unions, Madras (1962)

Labour Law I · Trade Union Registration

Facts.

Employees of the Raj Bhavan (Governor’s household) in Madras applied to register a trade union; the Registrar refused.

Issue.

Can persons not engaged in a trade or industry register a trade union?

Held.

The Raj Bhavan is not a “trade or industry”; its domestic staff are not workmen in a trade, so they cannot form a registrable trade union. The refusal was upheld.

Why it matters.

It fixes the outer limit of who may register and is the direct authority for the recurring Raj Bhavan problem.

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