Disposed

Dhramveer Singh v. The State Of Bihar and Ors.

Patna HC11 Nov 2024CWJC/3068/2016

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

A rice mill proprietor challenged a certificate case under the Public Demands Recovery Act initiated against him by BSFC on a defectively prepared certificate with blank columns. Finding the matter covered by prior judgments including Nageshwar Prasad Singh, the court held the certificate invalid.

What did the court decide?

Certificate in Case No. 06 of 2014-15 and its Section 7 notice quashed; fresh certificate ordered; coercive recovery barred meantime.

Dhramveer Singh Vs The State Of Bihar and Ors. — Civil Procedure and Limitation | Patna HC (2024)

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.3068 of 2016

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Dhramveer Singh son of Yashveer Singh proprietor of M/s Ganga Yamuna Rice Mill, Sevter, P.S.- Atri, District- Gaya.

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... ... Petitioner/s

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Versus

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The State Of Bihar through District Magistrate, District Gaya

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The Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited through its M.D., Bihar at Patna.

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The District Manager, Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited, Gaya, District- Gaya

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The District Certificate Officer, Gaya, District- Gaya.

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... ... Respondent/s

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============== Appearance : For the Petitioner/s	===== :	=================================== M/s Sumeet Kumar Singh Shivam Singh Kumar Vikram Alka Singh, Advocates
For the State	:	Mr. Raghwendra Kumar, SC 22
For the BSFC ==============	: =====	M/s Shailendra Kumar Singh Utkarsh Utpal, Advocates ===================================

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CORAM: HONOURABLE JUSTICE SMT. G. ANUPAMA CHAKRAVARTHY ORAL JUDGMENT

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Date : 11-11-2024

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The petitioner has filed the Writ petition for

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the following reliefs:

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“(i) That the present Writ application is being filed for issuance of an appropriate Writ order/ direction(s) in the nature of Certiorari for quashing the Certificate Case no06 of 2014-2015 which has been initiated against the petitioner on the basis Certificate which forms part of

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Patna High Court CWJC No.3068 of 2016 dt.11-11-2024 2/7

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section -7 notice is contrary to the statuary rules of Public Demand Recovery Act, 1914 (herein after referred as "P.D.R.Act, 1914" for the sake of brevity) as it is blank at many column, which is evident from the Certificate and the requisition attached in Annexure-5, 5/A, 5/B to this Writ application thus amount to defective notice and defective initiation of the Certificate case

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II. That the present Writ application is being filed for issuance of an appropriate Writ order/ direction(s) in the nature of Certiorari for quashing the Certificate of the Certificate case no- 06 of 2014-2015 which has been initiated against the petitioner under Section 7 of the Public demand recovery act by which it is asked to pay amount of Rs. 1,95,90,933.45/- on the ground that the process is not followed properly by the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation, Gaya (herein after referred as "B.S.F.C" for the sake

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Patna High Court CWJC No.3068 of 2016 dt.11-11-2024 3/7

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of brevity) in serving the notice without following the mandatory process as the form no.-2 has not been sent properly (requisition) which is in violation of the fundamental rights of the petitioner;

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III. That the present Writ application is being filed for issuance of an appropriate Writ order / direction(s) in the nature of Certiorari for quashing the entire process initiated in Certificate Case no. - 06 of 2014-15 and the issue the fresh certificate; on the ground that the same is without the proper certificate or requisition under the Public Demand Recovery Act, 1914 and thus the whole process is without jurisdiction.

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IV. And for issuance of any other relief or relief(s) for which the petitioner is entitled for.”

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At the outset, Learned counsel for

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petitioner contended that since this matter is squarely

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Patna High Court CWJC No.3068 of 2016 dt.11-11-2024 4/7

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covered under the order dated 11.07.2024 passed in

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CWJC No. 9221 of 2016 (Raju Gupta Versus The

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State of Bihar & Ors.) , this Writ petition may also be disposed of on the same term and conditions. The Learned counsel for the petitioner in order to substantiate his argument also relied on some judgments passed by Division Bench of this Court as well as by Hon’ble Supreme Court i.e. judgment dated 18.10.2023 passed in L.P.A. No. 1643 of 2019 (Pintu Biswas Versus the State of Bihar & Ors) , Judgment dated 10.10.2017 passed in LPA NO. 1373 of 2017 (Ram Niwas Sharma Vs. The Food and Consumer Protection Department & Ors.), and a judgment passed by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in Civil Appeals Nos. 471 of 1975 (State of Karnataka Vs. Shree Rameshwara Rice Mills, Thirthahalli). Learned counsel for the petitioner further draws attention of this Court on a judgment passed by a Division Bench of this Court in Nageshwar Prasad

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Singh Vs. Rai Bahadur Kashinath Singh (1958 BLJR

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Patna High Court CWJC No.3068 of 2016 dt.11-11-2024 5/7

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820). As regards the effect of a defective Certificate on the validity of the Certificate proceeding, the Division Bench of this Court in Nageshwar Prasad Singh (supra) has observed as follows:

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“The Certificate-Officer must meticulously apply his mind to filing the Certificate and filling in the columns and blanks correctly and in appending his Certificate in the form prescribed, and that the filling in of the forms is a matter of substance and is imperative, to give the Certificate the force of a decree of court of law, and if it is found that the Certificate-Officer had not applied his mind at all and that some of the blank spaces were not filled up, or were incorrectly filled up, the document so prepared and filed is not a Certificate under the Public Demands Recovery Act. The Certificate proceedings are wholly invalid and the officer concerned acts without jurisdiction”

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Heard the learned counsel for the

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Patna High Court CWJC No.3068 of 2016 dt.11-11-2024 6/7

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petitioner as well as the respondents.

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In view of the fact that this matter is

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squarely covered by the aforesaid judgments, in the totality of the circumstances, I am of the opinion that the Certificate issued in Form No. 1 signed by the District Manager of the BSFC and the Certificate Officer in the manner aforesaid is held to be invalid and is hereby quashed along with the notice under Section 7 of the Act issued in pursuance thereof. The matter is remitted to the Certificate Officer, Gaya for issuance of a fresh Certificate as well as the notice under Section 7 of the Act and thereafter to proceed in the matter in accordance with law.

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It is made clear that in the meantime, the Certificate Officer, Gaya, shall not resort to any coercive action for recovery of the dues against the petitioner in Certificate Case No. 06 of 2014-15.

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