( 1 ) THE petitioners in these five cases have brought Petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution to challenge the validity of a step taken by the respondents to prevent undesirable persons from carrying on dealings with the Government of India or its agencies in the sphere of public business or like transactions.

( 2 ) THOUGH these petitions raise common issues, it would be convenient to take up the facts of C. R. 710 (W)/66 in the first instance. C. R. 710 (W)/66

( 3 ) THE petitioner firm, Ram Krishan Kulwant Rai, is a firm carrying on, inter alia, the business of export and import of Iron and Steel materials and acts as 'handling agents' of the Union of India (Respondent No. 1) in respect of the imported Iron and Steel materials.

( 4 ) AT the material time iron and steel was a controlled commodity under the provisions of the Iron and Steel (Control) Order, 1956, under which no one could purchase or sell iron and steel materials except in pursuance of permits issued by the Iron and Steel Controller (Respondent No. 2, hereinafter referred to as 'the Controller' ). In 1960, the Union of India decided to enter into a barter deal in respect of the import and expor