JUDGMENT :

P. SAM KOSHY, J.

1. Aggrieved by the impugned order issued by the respondents No. 2 to 4 dated 23.10.2021 whereby the petitioners establishment has been blacklisted/degraded for a period of two years for the alleged ground of non performance, the present writ petition has been filed.

2. The impugned order has been challenged apart from other grounds on the ground of it being violative of principles of natural justice. The contention of the petitioner is that before passing of blacklisting/degrading order, the petitioner was never given any opportunity of hearing inasmuch as even no show-cause notice for the said action was ever issued to the petitioner.

3. Though the petitioner has challenged the said order on merits as well, this court had issued notices to the respondents No. 2 to 4 calling upon them to instruct this court as to whether any opportunity of hearing was given to the petitioner before the impugned order was passed. The respondents have filed their reply and in the reply the stand that they have taken is that before issuance of the impugned order of blacklisting/degrading the respondents infact had issued show-cause notices on three earlier occasions dated 17.0