A bench issued notices the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ), the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), the All India Newspaper Employees Federation, the National Federation of Newspaper Employees and Press Trust of India. The Court sought their responses also on the recommendations made by the MWB for an increase in wages, pension and retirement age.

The petition questioned the recommendation of the MWB and sought a declaration that the Working Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees Act was null and void. The petition alleged “hostile discrimination” on formation of wage board saying no other national importance industry was regulated in such a manner.