M/S. Lokenath Estate And Export Pvt. Ltd. v. State Of West Bengal And ORS.

D/L- 2 06/02/2026 Ct. No.-19 Aritra WPA 1916 of 2026 M/s. Lokenath Estate & Export Pvt. Ltd.

Vs.

The State of West Bengal & Ors.

Mr. Piyush Chaturvedi, Sr. Adv.

Mr. Mir Anowar ....for the petitioner Mr. Sk. Md. Galib, Sr. Govt. Adv.

Mr. Abu Siddique Mallik ....for the State Mr. Sanjay Saha Mr. Raju Mondal ....for the respondent No.6 Affidavit of service filed in Court today is taken on record.

The petitioner claims that pursuant to an e-auction the mining lease for sand in respect of a sand block within Mouza-Haripur in the District of Purba Bardhaman was granted in favour of the petitioner.

The petitioner claims to be storing and transporting sand under valid permits. Petitioner states that the stock permit for a particular period was granted in favour of the petitioner and upon expiry of the said period a further extension was also granted. The petitioner claims that certain quantity of sand extracted had to be stocked for future transportation but since the stock permit stood expired in the meantime, the petitioner applied before the Additional District Magistrate & District Land and Land

Reforms Officer, Purba Bardhaman for extension of the expired stock permit in favour of the petitioner. Mr. Chaturvedi, learned senior advocate appearing for the petitioner submits that the request for approval of extension of expired stock permit in favour of the petitioner was made by a letter dated November 6, 2025. He further submits that after filing of the writ petition, a memo dated December 18, 2025 has been forwarded to the petitioner, from which the petitioner came to know that the matter regarding extension of the stock permit has been forwarded by the Additional District Magistrate & District Land and Land Reforms Officer, Purba Bardhaman to the Chairman and Managing Director, West Bengal Minerals Development & Trading Corporation Limited.

communication of the Additional District Magistrate & District Land & Land Reforms Officer, Purba Bardhaman dated December 18, 2025 filed in Court today is taken on record.

The learned advocate appearing for the Corporation submits that he has not received any instructions as to the fate of the communication made by the Additional District Magistrate to the Corporation.

Since a prayer for extension of the stock permit has been made and the same has now been forwarded to the Corporation, the competent authority is duty bound to communicate its decision to the petitioner.

Without entering into the merits of the claim made by the petitioner in the prayer for extension made in the letter dated November 6, 2025, WPA 1916 of 2026 stands disposed of by directing the competent authority of the West Bengal Minerals Development & Trading Corporation Limited to consider the prayer of the petitioner and to dispose of the same by passing a reasoned order which shall be communicated to the petitioner immediately thereafter. The entire exercise shall be completed as expeditiously as possible but positively within a period of 4 weeks from the date of receipt of a server copy of this order along with a copy of the letter dated November 6, 2025. In the event, the said authority contemplates any adverse decision against the petitioner, an opportunity of hearing shall be provided to the petitioner and in that case also the entire exercise shall be completed within the time limit mentioned hereinbefore.

There will be no order as to costs.

All parties shall act on the server copy of this order duly downloaded from the official website of this Court. (Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, J.)