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2002 Supreme(Guj) 531

Gujarat High Court
Judgename :J.N.PATEL
CHILODA GRAM PANCHAYAT - Appellant
Versus
SECRETARY - Respondent
S.C.A. 10084 of 1993
Decided On : 07/23/2002

Advocates Appeared: P.J.VYAS, PRITI S.PARMAR, S.V.PARMAR, SASI V.PARIKH

Headnote:

Gujarat Panchayat Act - Petition is whether an Appellate Committee of a District Panchayat can pass an order counter to order passed by Development Commissioner on same subject matter - Petitioner passed resolutions so far as resolution is concerned - Appeal was preferred before Appellate Committee of District Panchayat - Appeal was entertained by Appellate Committee and on Appellate Committee had passed order whereby stay order granted against resolutions was vacated - It may be noted that prior to order was passed by Appellate Committee stay was vacated in Appeal - It is case of petitioner panchayat that against order of Appellate Committee of District Panchayat Revision Application was preferred before Additional Development Commissioner and said revision was entertained by Additional Development Commissioner and Additional Development Commissioner has passed order - Case of petitioner is that pending said revision notice came to be issued by Appellate Committee of District Panchayat observing that since the matter is pending before Additional Development Commissioner and until final orders are not passed bill for recovery of additional tax cannot be served upon applicant and therefore - It was directed that until specific instructions are received operation of same was suspended - Case of petitioner is that thereafter notice was also issued by Deputy District Development Officer to Serpent of petitioner Panchayat intimating that inspire of directions same is not complied with and, therefore why action should not be taken against him –Held, Order and it has also recorded that revision is pending before Additional Development Commissioner and stay order has been granted - Appellate Committee itself has interpreted that until final order is passed Gram Panchayat cannot issue bill for additional amount - Such a interpretation is not only contrary to principles of sound judicial discipline but even otherwise also same is without proper application of mind in as much as once Additional Development Commissioner has granted stay as consequence thereof it would be that Gram Panchayat would be at liberty to proceed with recovery of tax - In any case recovery of tax cannot be stayed by Appellate Committee of District Panchayat as per notice - In result notice copy of which is produced at to petition is arbitrary and against sound principles of judicial discipline and it cannot therefore stand in eye of law - So far as order is concerned same is nothing but a consequential order passed on basis of order and same is also running counter to order passed by Development Commissioner - Order respectively passed by Appellate Committee of District Panchayat are quashed and set aside and it is further directed that Development Commission before whom revision – Order Accordingly (Para 7)

JAYANT PATEL, J.

( 1 ) THE short question involved in this petition is whether an Appellate Committee of a District Panchayat can pass an order counter to the order passed by the Development Commissioner on the same subject matter.

( 2 ) THE short facts of the case are that on 28-12-1992, the Gram Panchayat Chiloda, petitioner herein, passed resolutions No. 3, 4, and 5. So far as resolution No. 5 is concerned, Appeal No. 4/1993 was preferred before the Appellate Committee of the District Panchayat. The appeal was entertained by the Appellate Committee and on 25-6-1993, the Appellate Committee had passed the order, whereby the stay order granted against resoltuions No. 3, 4, and 5 was vacated. It may be noted that prior to the order dated 25-6-1993, order dated 28-5-1993 was passed by the Appellate Committee of the Distrit Panchayat, whereby the stay was vacated in Appeal No. 4/1993. It is the case of the petitioner panchayat that against the order dated 25-6-1993 of the Appellate Committee of the District Panchayat, Revision Application No. 74/1993 was preferred before the Additional Development Commissioner and the said revision was entertained by the Additional Development Commissioner and the Additional Development Commissioner has passed the order on 22-7-1993, whereby the stay was granted against the operation of the order passed by the Appellate Committee of the District Panchayat. The case of the petitioner is that pending the said revision, notice dated 9-8-1993 came to be issued by the Appellate Committee of the District Panchayat, observing that since the matter is pending before the Additional Development Commissioner and until the final orders are not passed, the bill for recovery of additional tax cannot be served upon the applicant, Ranchhodbhai S. Patel and, therefore, it was directed that until the specific instructions are received, the operation of the same was suspended. The case of the petitioner is that thereafter notice dated 7/09/1993 was also issued by the Deputy District Development Officer to the Sarpanch of the petitioner Panchayat, intimating that inspite of the directions dated 9-8-1993, the same is not complied with and, therefore, why the action should not be taken against him. The case of the petitioner is that thereafter once again an order dated 23/09/1993 came to be passed by the Appellate Committee of the District Panchayat, whereby the stay order has been granted against the bill making payment, which is the subject matter of the revision before the Development Commissioner.

( 3 ) MR. PARMAR, learned Counsel for the petitioner submits that when the subject matter was pending before the Development Commissioner and more particularly when the Development Commissioner, who is the higher than the Appellate Committee of the District Panchayat, has passed the order on 22-7-1993, the Appellate Committee of the District Panchayat could not have insisted for the implementation of its earlier order dated 28/05/1993 read with the order dated 25-6-1993 and, therefore, he submits that the notice dated 9-8-1993 and further notice as the consequences thereof are without any authority and deserves to be quashed. Mr. Parmar submits that so far as the notice dated 7/09/1993 against the Sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat for taking action under Section 49 of the Act is concerned, the same has become infructuous, because the term of the said Sarpanch is over by efflux of time. However, he submits that the order dated 9-8-1993 is in operation and the same cannot be allowed to operate since it is running counter to the order passed by the Development Commissioner dated 22-7-1993.

( 4 ) MR. P. J. VYAS, learned Counsel appearing for respondent No. 4 has supported the order passed by the Appellate Committee of the District Panchayat.

( 5 ) HOWEVER, Mr. H. C. Patel, learned AGP appearing on behalf of the State Government has submitted that as a matter of fact there is a collusion between the Gram Panchayat and the person






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