Disposed

Blue Forest Recreation Club v. The Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise

Madras HC23 Aug 2024WP(MD)/19098/2023

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

Cancellation of a club's FL-2 liquor licence was challenged for non-furnishing of the District Collector's report and lack of independent application of mind by the licensing authority. The Court set aside the cancellation, directed furnishing of the report, objections, fresh enquiry with personal hearing, and permitted interim relief applications.

What did the court decide?

Impugned cancellation order set aside; Collector's report to be furnished in two weeks; fresh enquiry and order within six weeks with personal hearing; liberty for interim relief.

Blue Forest Recreation Club Vs The Commissioner of… — Writ and Judicial Review | Madras HC (2024)

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023

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BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT

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DATED : 23.08.2024

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CORAM

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THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE MOHAMMED SHAFFIQ

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023 and

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W.M.P.(MD)Nos.15847, 15849 and 17991 of 2023

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Blue Forest Recreation Club, Represented by its Secretary, P.Mahendran ... Petitioner

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Vs.

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1.The Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, Chepauk,

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Chennai – 600 005.

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2.The District Collector, Dindigul.

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3.The Assistant Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, Collectorate, Dindigul.

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4.The District Manager, Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited, (TASMAC), Dindigul, Dindigul District. ... Respondents

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PRAYER: Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India for issuance of Writ of Certiorari, to call for the records pertaining to the impugned order in Se.Mu.No.Ma(Ma).Aa2(1)/2283/2023 dated 01.08.2023 on the file of the first respondent and quash the same as illegal.

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 1/7

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023

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For Petitioner : Mr.Ram Sundar Vijayaraj For R-1 to R-3 : Mr.Veera Kathiravan Additional Advocate General Assisted by, Mr.J.K.Jeyaselan Government Advocate For R-4 : Mr.H.Arumugam

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O R D E R

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This Writ Petition is filed challenging the order dated 01.08.2023, whereby, the FL-2 license granted to the petitioner was cancelled.

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2. It was submitted by the learned counsel for the petitioner that the

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impugned order has been passed by the first respondent, only on the basis of the

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alleged report given by the second respondent, without applying his mind independently. In this regard, reliance was sought to be placed on the following portion of the impugned order:

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“jpz ; Lf ; fy ; khtl ; lk ; ej ; jk ; tl ; lk ; ej ; jk ; ngU : uhl ; rp 118a [ kJiu nuhL vd ; w gFjpapy ; jp.s ; Blue Forest Recreation Club vd ; w bgahpy ; bray ; gl ; L tUk ; FL2 chpkj ; jyj ; jpd ; kPJ tug ; bgw ; w g [ fhu ; kD bjhlh ; ghf jpz ; Lf ; fy ; khtl ; l cjtp Mizah ; (fyhy ; ) jpz ; Lf ; fy ; khtl ; l lh] ; khf ; nkyhsh ; kw ; Wk ; nfhl ; l fyhy ; mYtyh ; Mfpnahuhy 08.07.2023 md ; W g [ yj ; jzpf ; if

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 2/7

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023

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bra ; ag ; gl ; ljhft [ k ; g [ yj ; jzpf ; ifapd ; nghJ nkw ; go fpsg ; gpd ; cWg ; gpdh ; kw ; Wk ; cWg ; gpdh ; my ; yhj egh ; fs ; kJ mUe ; JtJ fz ; lwpag ; gl ; ljhft [ k ; ghh ; it 1y ; gof ; fg ; gl ; l fojq ; fspd ; thapyhf bjhptpf ; fg ; gl ; Ls ; sJ vg ; vy ; 2 chpk tpjpfspd ; go cWg ; gpdh ; my ; yhjth ; fSf ; F kJ tpw ; gid bra ; af ; TlhJ vd ; gij mwpe ; Jk ; tpjp kPwp kJghd tpw ; gid bra ; j fhuzj ; jpdhy ; nkw ; go fpsg ; brayhsUf ; F vGj ; Jg ; g{h ; tkhd tpsf ; fj ; jpiz mspf ; f khtl ; l Ml ; rpah ; K : ykhf Fwpg ; ghid rhh ; g [ bra ; ag ; gl ; lJ. ,ijj ; bjhlh ; e ; J jp/s ; . Blue Forest Recreation Club-d ; brayhshplkpUe ; J bgwg ; gl ; l tpsf ; f fojj ; jpy ; cWg ; gpdh ; my ; yhj egh ; fSf ; F kJ tpw ; gid bra ; ag ; gLtjpy ; iy vdt [ k ; fpsg ; gpd ; cWg ; gpdh ; fs ; kw ; Wk mtUld ; tUk ; tpUe ; jpdh ; fSf ; F kl ; Lnk kJ tpenahfk bra ; ag ; gLfpd ; wJ vd bfhjptpf ; fg ; gl ; ljhft [ k ; mt ; tpsf ; fk Vw ; g [ ilajhf ,y ; iy vdt [ k ; vdnt jp/s ; Blue Forest Recreation Club-d ; kPJ chpa eltof ; if nkw ; bfhs ; syhk vdt [ k ; ghh ; it 3y ; gof ; fg ; gl ; l fojj ; jpy ; jpz ; Lf ; fy ; khtl ; l Ml ; rpah ; bjhptpj ; Js ; shh .”

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3. It was submitted that the impugned order has been passed without furnishing the copy of the Collector's report to the petitioner and further, the impugned order has adopted the report of the Collector without independent application of mind.

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4. To the contrary, it was submitted by the learned Additional Advocate

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General appearing for the respondents 1 to 3, on the other hand that the

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 3/7

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023

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petitioner was put on notice and their objections were taken on file and only, thereafter the impugned order has been passed.

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5. Heard the learned counsels on both sides and perused the materials available on record.

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6. This Court finds merits on the submission of the learned counsel for the petitioner, inasmuch as the petitioner ought to have been furnished with the copy of the District Collector's report which has been taken into account by the first respondent while passing the impugned order, so as to enable the petitioner to putforth his objection with reference to the said report. Secondly, a duty is cast upon the first respondent to apply his mind independently. However, from the relevant portion of the impugned order which is extracted supra, it appears that the first respondent had merely adopted the report of the District Collector without independently applying his mind to the issues on hand.

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7. In view thereof, the impugned order passed by the first respondent dated 01.08.2023 is set aside. The respondent authority is directed to furnish a copy of the District Collector report to the petitioner within a period of two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order and the petitioner would

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 4/7

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023

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submit his objection within a period of two weeks therefrom and the enquiry shall be conducted and order shall be passed within a period of six weeks therefrom, after affording reasonable opportunity of personal hearing to the petitioner.

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8. At this juncture, the learned counsel for the petitioner seeks liberty of this Court to file an application for interim relief. The petitioner is granted liberty to file application for interim relief, if permitted legally. If such interim application is filed, the same shall be considered and orders shall be passed in accordance with law.

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9. In view of the above, this Writ Petition is disposed of. No costs. Consequently, connected miscellaneous petitions are closed.

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23.08.2024

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NCC:yes/no Index:yes/no Internet:yes/no Nsr

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 5/7

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023

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To:

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1.The Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, Chepauk, Chennai – 600 005.

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2.The District Collector, Dindigul.

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3.The Assistant Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, Collectorate, Dindigul.

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4.The District Manager, Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited, (TASMAC), Dindigul, Dindigul District.

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 6/7

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023

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MOHAMMED SHAFFIQ, J.

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Nsr

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W.P.(MD)No.19098 of 2023

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23.08.2024

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https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 7/7

Blue Forest Recreation Club v. The Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Blue Forest Recreation Club v. The Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

What the court decided

A compact analysis

Issues for consideration

Statutes considered

Parties & counsel

Coram

Case details

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