Judgment

MITTER, J.:- This is an appeal by special leave from an order of the Government of, India, Ministry of Steel, Mines and Metals rejecting an application for revision by the appellant under Rule 54 of the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960. The substantial grievance of the appellant is that it had a preferential right under S. 11 of the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957 to have a mining lease in respect of an area advertised for regrant by the State of Mysore and that the respondent without properly applying its mind to the facts of the case turned down its application for revision without giving any reasons for the order passed.

2. The facts are as follows. The appellant is a firm which claims to have an established business house engaged in the business of large-scale mining of iron and manganese ores. It was granted a prospecting licence in respect of an area of Ac. 1770-00 in S. No. 17 (1) part of village Palade, Taluk Supa Petha, North Kanara District which was then in the territory of the State of Bombay. It was granted a certificate of approval by the Bombay Government on 27th October, 1961: Thereafter, as a result of the Re-organisation of the State