Patna High Court

Prashant Kumar vs The State Of Bihar on 1 November, 2021

         IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                  Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.5769 of 2020
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Prashant Kumar Son of Chandra Kishore Kumar, Resident of Village- Sudama Nagar, P.S. Bhawanipur, District- Purnea- 854204

... ... Petitioner/s Versus

1. The State of Bihar through Principal Secretary, Department of Food and Consumer Protection Govt. of Bihar, Patna.

2. The Secretary, Department of Food and Consumer Protection Govt. of Bihar, Patna.

3. The Director, Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies, 4th Floor, Khadyabhawan, Daroga Prasad Rai Path, Patna.

4. The Managing Director, Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies, 4th Floor, Khadyabhawan, Daroga Prasad Rai Path, Patna.

5. The District Manager, Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Dakbangla Chowk, District- Purnea

6. The Branch Manager, State Food Corporation, Dakbangla Chowk, District-

Purnea.

... ... Respondent/s ====================================================== Appearance :

For the Petitioner/s : Mr.Vikram Singh, Advocate For the Respondent/s : Mr. Maruth Nath Roy, AC to SC-4 For the BSFC : Mr. Shailendra Kumar Singh, Advocate ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE and HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE P. B. BAJANTHRI ORAL JUDGMENT (Per: HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE)

Date : 01-11-2021

Heard learned counsel for the parties.

Petitioner has prayed for the following relief(s):-

(i) For issuance of appropriate writ/order/direction commanding the respondents to make payment of bill as per the agreement dated 04.04.2014 in which the petitioner completed the work and furnished the bill of Rupees 15,821,44 (Fifteen Lakh, Eighty two Patna High Court CWJC No.5769 of 2020 dt.01-11-2021

thousand, one forty four rupees) including the Bank guarantee of Rupees 2 lakh for the period of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.

(ii) For issuance of appropriate writ/order/direction commanding the respondents to pay statutory and penal interest payable to the petitioner against the bill.

(iii) For any other relief/reliefs as your lordship may deems fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case."

The Hon'ble Supreme Court in D. N. Jeevaraj

Vs. Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka & Ors,

(2016) 2 SCC 653, paragraphs 34 to 38 observed as

under:-

"34. The learned counsel for the parties addressed us on the question of the bona fides of Nagalaxmi Bai in filing a public interest litigation. We leave this question open and do not express any opinion on the correctness or otherwise of the decision of the High Court in this regard.

35. However, we note that generally speaking, procedural technicalities ought to take a back seat in public interest litigation. This Court held in Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of U.P. [Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of U.P., 1989 Supp (1) SCC 504] to this effect as follows: (SCC p. 515, para 16) "16. The writ petitions before us are not inter parties disputes and have been raised by way of public interest litigation and the controversy before the court is as to whether for social safety and for creating a hazardless environment for the people to live in, mining in the area should be permitted or stopped. We may not be taken to have said that for public interest Patna High Court CWJC No.5769 of 2020 dt.01-11-2021

litigations, procedural laws do not apply. At the same time it has to be remembered that every technicality in the procedural law is not available as a defence when a matter of grave public importance is for consideration before the court."

36. A considerable amount has been said about public interest litigation in R&M Trust [R&M Trust v. Koramangala Residents Vigilance Group, (2005) 3 SCC 91] and it is not necessary for us to dwell any further on this except to say that in issues pertaining to good governance, the courts ought to be somewhat more liberal in entertaining public interest litigation. However, in matters that may not be of moment or a litigation essentially directed against one organisation or individual (such as the present litigation which was directed only against Sadananda Gowda and later Jeevaraj was impleaded) ought not to be entertained or should be rarely entertained. Other remedies are also available to public spirited litigants and they should be encouraged to avail of such remedies.

37. In such cases, that might not strictly fall in the category of public interest litigation and for which other remedies are available, insofar as the issuance of a writ of mandamus is concerned, this Court held in Union of India v. S.B. Vohra [Union of India v. S.B. Vohra, (2004) 2 SCC 150: 2004 SCC (L&S) 363] that: (SCC p. 160, paras 12-13) "12. Mandamus literally means a command. The essence of mandamus in England was that it was a royal command issued by the King's Bench (now Queen's Bench) directing performance of a public legal duty.

13. A writ of mandamus is issued in favour of a person who establishes a legal right in himself. A writ of mandamus is issued against a person who has a legal duty to perform but has failed and/or neglected to do so. Such a legal duty emanates from either in discharge of a public duty or by operation of law. The writ Patna High Court CWJC No.5769 of 2020 dt.01-11-2021

of mandamus is of a most extensive remedial nature. The object of mandamus is to prevent disorder from a failure of justice and is required to be granted in all cases where law has established no specific remedy and whether justice despite demanded has not been granted."

38. A salutary principle or a well-recognised rule that needs to be kept in mind before issuing a writ of mandamus was stated in Saraswati Industrial Syndicate Ltd. v. Union of India [Saraswati Industrial Syndicate Ltd. v. Union of India, (1974) 2 SCC 630] in the following words: (SCC pp. 641-42, paras 24-25) "24. ... The powers of the High Court under Article 226 are not strictly confined to the limits to which proceedings for prerogative writs are subject in English practice. Nevertheless, the well-recognised rule that no writ or order in the nature of a mandamus would issue when there is no failure to perform a mandatory duty applies in this country as well. Even in cases of alleged breaches of mandatory duties, the salutary general rule, which is subject to certain exceptions, applied by us, as it is in England, when a writ of mandamus is asked for, could be stated as we find it set out in Halsbury's Laws of England (3rd Edn.), Vol. 11, p. 106:

'198. Demand for performance must precede application.--As a general rule the order will not be granted unless the party complained of has known what it was he was required to do, so that he had the means of considering whether or not he should comply, and it must be shown by evidence that there was a distinct demand of that which the party seeking the mandamus desires to enforce, and that that demand was met by a refusal.'

25. In the cases before us there was no such demand or refusal. Thus, no ground whatsoever is shown here for the issue of any writ, order, or direction under Article 226 of the Constitution."

Patna High Court CWJC No.5769 of 2020 dt.01-11-2021

After the matter was heard for some time,

learned counsel for the petitioner, under instructions,

states that petitioner shall be content if a direction is

issued to the authority concerned to consider and decide

the representation which the petitioner shall be filing

within a period of four weeks from today for redressal of

the grievance(s).

Learned counsel for the respondents states that

if such a representation is filed by the petitioner, the

authority concerned shall consider and dispose it of

expeditiously and preferably within a period of four

months from the date of its filing along with a copy of

this order.

Statement accepted and taken on record.

As such, petition stands disposed of in the

following terms:-

(a) Petitioner shall approach Respondent No. 4,

namely, The Managing Director, Bihar State Food and

Civil Supplies, 4th Floor Khadya Bhawan, Daroga Prasad

Rai Path, Patna, within a period of four weeks from

today by filing a representation for redressal of the

grievance(s);

Patna High Court CWJC No.5769 of 2020 dt.01-11-2021

(b) The said respondent shall consider and

dispose it of expeditiously by a reasoned and speaking

order preferably within a period of four months from the

date of its filing along with a copy of this order;

representation, principles of natural justice shall be

followed and due opportunity of hearing afforded to the

parties;

(d) Equally, liberty is reserved to the petitioner

to take recourse to such alternative remedies as are

otherwise available in accordance with law;

(e) We are hopeful that as and when petitioner

takes recourse to such remedies, as are otherwise

available in law, before the appropriate forum, the same

shall be dealt with, in accordance with law and with

reasonable dispatch;

(f) Liberty reserved to the petitioner to

approach the Court, if the need so rises subsequently on

the same and subsequent cause of action;

(g) We have not expressed any opinion on

merits. All issues are left open;

Patna High Court CWJC No.5769 of 2020 dt.01-11-2021

(h) The proceedings, during the time of current

Pandemic- Covid-19 shall be conducted through digital

mode, unless the parties otherwise mutually agree to

meet in person i.e. physical mode;

The petition stands disposed of in the aforesaid

terms.

Interlocutory Application(s), if any, stands

disposed of.



                                                 (Sanjay Karol, CJ)


                                                  ( P. B. Bajanthri, J)
rakhi
AFR/NAFR
CAV DATE                N.A.
Uploading Date          02.11.2021
Transmission Date