India, Oct. 9 -- Seldom in an industrial dispute does a court pause to appreciate the products made by a company at the centre of a legal battle. But when those products are as deeply embedded in the Indian way of life as Hamam and Moti, described by the Bombay High Court as "legendary and pioneering soap brands", even a two-decade-old industrial dispute can make room for memory and nostalgia.

Delivering his verdict on petitions filed by the TOMCO Kamgar Union, representing workers earlier employed by the soap manufacturer Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO), against Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), a single-judge bench of justice Sandeep Marne opened his 40-page judgement, delivered on Tuesday, by reflecting on what the two soaps have meant...