Asit Kumar Kar Vs.
State of West Bengal & Ors. [2009] INSC 107 (21 January 2009)
Judgment
IN THE SUPREME COURT
OF INDIA ORIGINAL JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) NO(s). 110 OF 2008 ASIT
KUMAR KAR Petitioner(s) VERSUS STATE OF WEST BENGAL & ORS. Respondent(s)
WITH W.P(C) NO. 118 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 119 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 144 of 2008
W.P(C) NO. 146 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 147 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 148 of 2008 W.P(C) NO.
149 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 150 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 151 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 152 of
2008 W.P(C) NO. 153 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 154 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 155 of 2008
W.P(C) NO. 156 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 157 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 158 of 2008 W.P(C) NO.
159 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 160 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 161 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 162 of
2008 W.P(C) NO. 163 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 164 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 272 of 2008
W.P(C) NO. 273 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 274 of 2008 W.P(C) NO. 275 of 2008 ORDER
These writ petitions have been filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of
India.
It appears that the
All Bengal Excise Licensees Association had filed a writ petition in the High
Court of Calcutta challenging the policy of the State of West Bengal -2- of
granting additional licences for foreign liquor and country made spirit. That
petition was filed through the General Secretary of the Association.
Subsequently, the writ petition was withdrawn.
During the pendency
of the writ petition, and before it was withdrawn, an interim order had been
passed by the High Court staying the grant of licences. A contempt petition was
filed before the High Court alleging that licences were granted in violation of
the stay order of the High Court, but that contempt petition was dismissed.
Against that order dismissing the contempt petition, a special leave petition
was filed in this Court which was decided by this Court in the judgment
reported as All Bengal Licensees Association v. Raghabendra Singh & Ors.
[2007 (11) SCC 374.
In that contempt
petition, the Court accepted the apology of the alleged contemnors, but having
done so, in paragraph 40 of the judgment it directed cancellation of the
licences for the auctions held on 20.03.2005, 21.03.2005 and 22.03.2005 and
directed that their businesses shall be stopped forthwith.
The aforesaid
direction in paragraph 40 of the judgment was passed without hearing the
persons whose licences were ordered to be cancelled. In fact even the
impleadment applications of such persons were rejected.
It is a basic
principle of justice that no adverse orders should be passed against a party
without hearing him. This is the fundamental principle of natural justice and
it is a basic canon of jurisprudence.
-3- In the Seven
Judge Constitution Bench of this Court, A.R. Antuley v. R.S. Nayak & Anr.
1988 (2) SCC 602] it has been observed in paragraph 55 thereof:
"so also the violation
of the principles of natural justice renders the act a nullity".
One of the counsel
relied upon another Five Judge Constitution Bench decision in Rupa Ashok Hurra
v. Ashok Hurra [2002 (4) SCC 388]. It is true that in paragraph 9 of the said
judgment it has been observed that this Court under Article 32 of the
Constitution cannot hold as invalid a judgment of this Court by treating it as
a nullity. However, the aforesaid judgment does not say that we cannot pass a
recall order when that order has been passed without hearing a party.
There is a
distinction between a petition under Article 32, a review petition and a recall
petition. While in a review petition the Court considers on merits where there
is an error apparent on the face of the record, in a recall petition the Court
does not go into the merits but simply recalls an order which was passed
without giving an opportunity of hearing to an affected party. We are treating
this petition under Article 32 as a recall petition because the order passed in
the decision in All Bengal Licensees Association v. Raghabendra Singh &
Ors. [2007 (11) SCC 374] cancelling certain licences was passed without giving
opportunity of hearing to the persons who had been granted licences.
-4- In these
circumstances, we recall the directions in paragraph 40 of the aforesaid
judgment. However, if anybody has a grievance against the grant of licences or
in the policy of the State Government, he will be at liberty to challenge it in
appropriate proceedings before the appropriate Court.
The writ petitions
are disposed of with these directions.
......................J.
[MARKANDEY KATJU]
.....................J
[R.M. LODHA]
New
Delhi,
January
21, 2009.
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