Judgment

Bhan, J.—This appeal by grant of leave is directed against the final judgment and order dated 3.4.2001 passed by the Madras High Court in Writ Appeal No. 943 of 1993 whereby the Division Bench has set aside the order passed by the Single Judge of the High Court and dismissed the writ petition filed by the appellant.

2. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. - the appellant herein, has its workshop amongst other places within the Kandla Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as ‘the KFTZ’) in the State of Gujarat. In the year 1986 it obtained an export order for Rs. 24 crores (48 million Malaysian Dollars) from the Malaysian Government for the construction of two steel bridges in Malaysia. The Working Group, a High Level Official Body of the Indian Government gave its approval to the appellant’s project and for fabrication required for the work to be done in the appellant’s workshop at KFTZ on the condition that there should be maximum utilization of indigenous steel as raw material and that any import of steel was to be done only after taking prior approval of the Working Group.

3. The units which are located in the Free Trade Zone like that of the appellant in KFTZ is entitled, inter alia,