Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. v. Mr Kynremri Lyngdoh
Case brief
What is this about?
Interlocutory application I.A.(Civil)/2435/2025 (2025:GAU-AS:10554) in WP(C) No.7156/2019, Gauhati High Court, dismissed as misconceived on 11.08.2025 by Arun Dev Choudhury, J. HPCL respondent Nos. 6, 7 & 8 sought deletion of the Union of India (Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas) from the respondent array based on paragraph 2 of a MoPNG circular (dated 16.12.2023/16.12.2013 as variously printed) on deletion of proforma-party Ministries. Held: circular cannot bind writ petitioners on impleadment; co-respondent/OMC cannot oust another respondent; impleadment by writ petitioner irrelevant to applicant's stand; no costs imposed. Keywords: deletion of respondent, impleadment, proforma party, necessary party, Union of India, MoPNG circular, OMC, IOCL, HPCL, misconceived application.
What did the court decide?
The prescription in paragraph 2 of the Ministry's circular cannot have any binding effect on the writ petitioners in deciding whether to implead the Union of India as a party respondent.