S. MURALIDHAR J.

( 1 ) IMPORTANT questions of law concerning the interpretation of Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (hereinafter "the act') and certain notifications issued thereunder arise for consideration in this writ petition. The cause for this invitation to judicial determination is a cross-border transaction that requires the petitioners before us to export 30,000 metric tonnes (MT) of Chick Peas from this country to her neighbour, pakistan.

( 2 ) FOR those needing proof that globalisation of trade is not a recent phenomenon one has only to look at the history and the evolution of cuisines around the world. In many countries, the currently popular cuisine is an adaptation of a foreign one. The popularity in our country of Chinese, Italian and recently Lebanese food bears testimony to this growing trend. Indian spices and pulses were among the earliest to be traded at the height of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. As much as we relish our chick peas (chana) and the imported Kabuli variety, our "desi" chick peas it seems is equally popular abroad. Chick peas are devoured in many forms: The Arab speaking world relishes