1. This writ petition has been preferred to quash Clause 1 of the Memorandum of Instructions (Annexure-2), issued by the respondent Bank for empanelment of vendors of paper, loose leaf binders, stationery items etc. and printers, whereby prohibition has been imposed on the empanelment of persons whose near relatives as defined therein are working in the Bank.

2. According to the writ petition, the petitioner is the sole proprietor of a firm of printers engaged in the business of printing since the year 1986, and empanelled as printers with the respondent Bank, Local Head Office, Patna, since 1994. An advertisement was published in the local Hindi newspaper "Hindustan" on 26.9.2004 (Annexure-1), inviting applications for empanelment of vendors of paper, stationary items, printers etc. within 15 days. The applicants were required to conform to the general terms and conditions governing the empanelment incorporated in the impugned Memorandum of Instructions (Annexure-2). Clause 1 is the impugned portion and is set out herein below.

1. Near relative as defined by the Bank viz. (Spouse, Father (including step father), Mother (including step mother), Son (including step-son) and/