T L George vs The Secretary, Manjalloor Grama ...
2022 Latest Caselaw 9007 Ker

Citation : 2022 Latest Caselaw 9007 Ker
Judgement Date : 27 July, 2022

Kerala High Court

T L George vs The Secretary, Manjalloor Grama ... on 27 July, 2022

            IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
                                PRESENT
        THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN
  WEDNESDAY, THE 27TH DAY OF JULY 2022 / 5TH SRAVANA, 1944
                      WP(C) NO. 22946 OF 2022




PETITIONER:

            T L GEORGE,
            AGED 58 YEARS
            THOTTUMARICKAL HOUSE, VAZHAKULAM P.O.,
            MUVATTUPUZHA - 686 670.
            BY ADVS.
            PHILIP J.VETTICKATTU
            SAJITHA GEORGE
            NEENU BERNATH

RESPONDENTS:

    1       THE SECRETARY, MANJALLOOR GRAMA PANCHAYAT.
            MANJALLUR, MUVATTUPUZHA.
    2       THE MANJALLUR GRAMA PANCHAYAT,
            MANJALLUR, MUVATTUPUZHA,
            REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY.
            BY ADV G.BHAGAVAT SINGH


     THIS     WRIT   PETITION    (CIVIL)     HAVING    COME    UP    FOR
ADMISSION     ON   27.07.2022,    THE     COURT   ON   THE    SAME   DAY
DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING:
 W.P.(C).No.22946/2022

                                     2




                   P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN, J.
                    --------------------------------
                   W.P.(C).No.22946 of 2022
             ----------------------------------------------
            Dated this the 27th day of July, 2022


                           JUDGMENT

This writ petition is filed with following prayers:

i. Issue a writ of certiorari or any other appropriate writ, direction or order quashing Ext.P5. ii. Issue a writ of Mandamus or any other appropriate writ, direction or order directing the respondents not to interfere with the traffic/transport of vehicles to and from the quarry of the petitioner through Neelikkad - Vadakode Road.

iii. Issue a writ of Mandamus or any other appropriate writ, direction or order directing the respondents to permit the petitioner to carry out the maintenance work/repair of the road with immediate effect under the supervision of the Public Works Department.

iv. To grant such other reliefs as this Hon'ble Court may deem just and fit in the circumstances of the case.

(SIC)

2. It is the case of the petitioner that he is conducting W.P.(C).No.22946/2022

quarry in Ward No.5 of the respondent Panchayat with all

necessary license/consents/clearance. The access to the

petitioner to its quarry is through a public road namely

Neelikad - Vadakode Road. According to the petitioner, he and

his customers are using the said road for transportation of

materials from and to the quarry. The petitioner is aggrieved

by Ext.P5 order passed by the 1 st respondent, prohibiting the

passage of loading vehicles through the said road. It is the

case of the petitioner that, the Secretary or the Panchayat has

no authority or jurisdiction to prohibit or regulate the traffic

through a public road. Hence this writ petition.

3. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and

the learned counsel for the respondents.

4. The challenge in this writ petition is against Ext.P5

order. It will be better to extract the contents in Ext.P5:

"മേൽ സൂചന (1),(2) പ്രകാരം മഞ്ഞള്ളൂർ ഗ്രാമപഞ്ചായത്തിലെ

3,4 വാർഡുകളിലൂടെ കടന്നുപോകുന്ന നിലികാട് - വടകോട്

റോഡിലൂടെ ഭാരവണ്ടികളുടെ ഗതാഗതം നിരോധിച്ചുകൊണ്ട്

ബോർഡ് സ്ഥാപിച്ചിട്ടുള്ളതാണ്. സൂചന (2) പ്രകാരം ടി റോഡ്

ശോചനിയാവസ്ഥയിലാണെന്നും ടി റോഡിലുള്ള കലുങ്കുകൾക്ക്

ബലക്ഷയം സംഭവിക്കാവുന്നതാണെന്നും റിപ്പോർട്ട് ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ട്.

W.P.(C).No.22946/2022

എന്നാൽ നിലവിൽ ടി റോഡിലൂടെ താങ്കളുടെ പാറമടയിൽ

നിന്നുമുള്ള ഭാരവണ്ടികൾ സർവ്വീസ് നടത്തുന്നതായും ടി റോഡിൽ

മക്കിട്ടിട്ടുള്ളതായും ശ്രദ്ധയിൽപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുണ്ട്. ആയതിനാൽ സൂചന

(3) പ്രകാരം ടി റോഡിൽ താങ്കൾ നിക്ഷേപിച്ചിട്ടുള്ള മക്ക് നിക്കം

ചെയ്ത് റോഡ് പൂർവ്വസ്ഥിതിയിലാക്കേണ്ടതും താങ്കളുടെ

പാറമടയിൽ നിന്നുമുള്ള ഭാരവണ്ടികൾ സർവ്വീസ് നടത്തുന്നത്

നിർത്തിവെയ്ക്കേണ്ടതുമാണെന്ന് അറിയിക്കുന്നു."

5. A reading of Ext.P5 will not show the source of

power of the Panchayat to issue such an order. The intention

of the Panchayat may be genuine. But there is no source of

power to the Panchayat to issue an order like Ext.P5. If there

is such grievance, the Panchayat can approach the appropriate

authority in accordance to law to redress the grievance. The

Panchayat has no authority to issue orders to regulate the

traffic through a public road.

6. Therefore Ext.P5 has to go with liberty to the

Panchayat to approach the appropriate authority in

accordance to law or to pass appropriate orders in accordance

to law. The learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that

he submitted Exts.P3 and P4 representations. Without

expressing on the contents in the representations, there can W.P.(C).No.22946/2022

be a direction to the Panchayat to consider those

representations also within a time frame.

Therefore, this writ petition is disposed of in the

following manner:

1. Ext.P5 is set aside granting liberty to the

Panchayat to pass appropriate orders in

accordance to law.

2. The 2nd respondent is directed to consider and

pass appropriate orders in Exts.P3 and P4 in

accordance to law, after giving an opportunity

of hearing to the petitioner, as expeditiously as

possible, at any rate, within one month from

the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment.

sd/-

                                                  P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN
JV                                                       JUDGE
 W.P.(C).No.22946/2022





                 APPENDIX OF WP(C) 22946/2022

PETITIONER EXHIBITS
Exhibit P1        TRUE COPY OF THE RELEVANT PAGES OF THE
                  QUARRYING LEASE DATED 23-03-2022.
Exhibit P2        TRUE COPY OF THE MOVEMENT PERMIT
                  ISSUED BY THE GEOLOGIST, ERNAKULAM
                  DATED 25-04-2022.
Exhibit P3        TRUE COPY OF THE LETTER SUBMITTED BY
                  THE PETITIONER TO THE PANCHAYATH