Chandra Mohan Debnath v. Union Of India

04.12.2020 Court No. 24 Item 37 (DL) CP WPA 8578 of 2020 Chandra Mohan Debnath vs.

Union of India & ors.

(Via Video Conference) Mr. Manik Das Mr. Arindom Chatterjee .....for the petitioner.

Mr. Puspendu Chakraborty ...for the I.O.C.L.

Petitioner is aggrieved by the measures taken by the oil company in a selection process for retail outlet.

Learned advocate appearing for the petitioner draws the attention of the court to the reply of the oil company dated December 23, 2019, given in respect of the complaint of the petitioner dated February 27, 2019. He submits that in such reply the oil company categorically stated that the land offered by the private respondent was meeting the norms. He also draws the attention of the court to the response of the oil company on an application under the Right to Information Act, given on June 18, 2020. He submits that in the response the oil company stated that the selection process is on. He submits that, therefore, the land offered by the private respondent cannot be

considered to be meeting the norms of the oil company.

Oil company is represented.

With the deepest of respect, the petitioner is misconstruing and misunderstanding the contents of the writings dated December 23, 2019 and June 18, 2020 of the oil company. No doubt, the oil company in its writing dated December 23, 2019, returns a finding that the land offered by the private respondent was meeting the norms. In its response dated June 18, 2020, the oil company states that the selection process is on. There is no conflict between the two responses of the oil company. Meeting the norms so far as the land is concerned, is not the end of the selection process. The oil company is required to look into and consider various other parameters of an applicant for grant of retail outlet to finalize the grant of the same. In this context the oil company in its response dated June 18, 2020 has stated that the selection process is on. Such response only means that the oil company is yet to finalize the ultimate candidate who is successful in the selection process. In such circumstances, I find no merit in the present writ petition. There shall be no order as to costs.

WPA 8578 of 2020 is disposed of.

(Debangsu Basak, J.)