2011 Supreme(Guj) 848
IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT
K.M. Thaker, J.
Mukundbhai Baldevbhai Patel - Petitioner
Versus
Chief Engineer (Project) & Ors. - Respondents
Special Civil Application No. 3444 of 2011 with Civil Application No. 4104 of 2011 (in Spl. Civil Appli. No. 3444 of 2011) with Spl. Civil Appli. Nos. 3443 and 3982 of 2011
Decided On : 22-04-2011
Advocate Appeared:
For the Petitioner:Sangeeta N. Pahwa, Advocate.
For the Respondent:S.P. Hasurkar, Advocate.
Headnote:
Telegraph Act, 1885 - Sections 10 - Electricity Act, 2003 - Sections 164, 14, 67(2), 68 and 69 - Works of Licensee Rules, 2006 - Rule 3 - Petition seeking to issue appropriate writ, order or direction, quashing and setting aside the impugned public notice published by the respondent No.l as being without jurisdiction, authority of law, arbitrary and violative, to issue appropriate writ, order or direction, quashing and setting aside the action of respondents in seeking to enter in the agricultural land bearing Block No. 76, situated and in seeking to make construction thereon as being illegal, arbitrary, null and void, without authority, to issue appropriate writ, order or direction, declaring that the respondents have no power or authority to enter into the land for the petitioner and to erect any poles thereon in pursuance to impugned public notice published, by respondent no.l, in the interest of justice and equity, to restrain the respondents, their Officers, agents, servants, etc. from entering into the agricultural land of the petitioner being Block and putting up any construction on the same, pending the admission, hearing and final disposal of this petition " - Held, Respondent company was not obliged to issue any prior notice to or take constant of owner - It could proceed in the same manner as telegraph authority would proceed to lay telegraph line, Contention by petitioner that notification which confers power of telegraph authority on state transmission utility without authority - Contention not accepted - Petition dismissed.
JUDGMENT :
K.M. Thaker, J.
All the three petitions raise similar and common challenge and involve almost similar facts and contentions. The respondent is also common. Therefore, it is proposed to decide the petitions by present common order. For sake of convenience, facts are drawn from the record of SCA No.3444 of 2011.
2. The petitioner has preferred present petition seeking below mentioned reliefs:
"(A) Your Lordships be pleased to issue appropriate writ, order or direction, quashing and setting aside the impugned public notice dated 29.07.2010 published under the Gujarat Government Gazette Part II by the respondent No.l as being without jurisdiction, authority of law, arbitrary and violative or Articles 14, 19 (1) (g) and 21 of the Constitution of India;
(B) Your Lordships be pleased to issue appropriate writ, order or direction, quashing and setting aside the action of respondents in seeking to enter in the agricultural land bearing Block No. 76, situated Mouje: Bilasiya, Taluka : Daskroi, District: Ahmedabad and in seeking to make construction thereon as being illegal, arbitrary, null and void, without authority, against the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003 and also violative or Articles 14, 19 (l)(g) and 21 of the Constitution of India;
(C) Your Lordships be pleased to issue appropriate writ, order or direction, declaring that the respondents have no power or authority to enter into the land for the petitioner and to erect any poles thereon in pursuance to impugned public notice dated 29.07.2010 published under the Gujarat Government Gazette Part II, by respondent no.l, in the interest of justice and equity;
(D) Your Lordships be pleased to restrain the respondents, their Officers, agents, servants, etc. from entering into the agricultural land of the petitioner being Block No.76 Mouje Bilasiya, Taluka Daskroi, District Ahmedabad and putting up any construction on the same, pending the admission, hearing and final disposal of this petition;"
3. After initial hearing, while issuing notice to the respondent company following order was passed:
".......Issue Notice returnable on 29th March, 2011. In the meanwhile, the officers of the respondents will not take any activity other than the survey and other preliminary works, if require. Direct service is permitted."
3.1. The respondents, in response to the notice issued by the Court after hearing the petitioners, have filed reply affidavit.
3.2. Along with the reply affidavit in Special Civil Application No.3444 of 2011, the respondent No.2 company also preferred, as mentioned earlier, a Civil Application being C.A.No.4104 of 2011 under clause( 3) of Article 226 of the Constitution of India and prayed that the interim relief granted vide order dated 16th March, 2011, may be vacated. Operation of the said order was extended from time to time and then on 26th March, 2011 the respondent No.2 company filed the application under Article 226 (3) of the Constitution of India. Subsequently i.e. after the respondent filed said application, the petitioner sought to add/raise some more grounds by amending the petition and for that purpose moved a draft amendment dated 11.4.2011 requesting permission to amend the petition by adding certain grounds and also additional prayer, by adding prayer 8(aa) in the memo of petition.
3.3. The petitioner's request to allow the draft amendment has been opposed by the respondent mainly on the ground that the draft amendment came to be submitted after it filed the aforesaid application under Sub clause (3) of Article 226 of the Constitution of India and the time frame was about to expire. This Court taking note of said objection of respondent No.2 company heard the submissions of all the contesting parties with regard to relief, including interim relief prayed for, and also heard the petition on merits.
3.4. So far as the respondent's objection with rega