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2025 Supreme(Gau) 1276

IN THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT (HIGH COURT OF ASSAM, NAGALAND, MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH) 
DEVASHIS BARUAH, J.
The State Of Assam And 3 Ors - Appellants 
Versus
Lakshi Kt Deka S/o Lt. Dehi Ram Deka - Respondent 
Review.Pet.167 of 2025
Decided on : 25-07-2025


Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For the Appellant : Mr. R. M. Das, SC, Water Resource

A review petition cannot be entertained solely on grounds of non-joinder of necessary parties if the court previously heard all involved parties and issued a direction that must stand.

Headnote:(A) Assam Government (Participatory Scheme) Act - Review Proceedings - Review not maintainable where there was no non-joinder of necessary party and no grounds established for review of prior order - Court reiterates principles governing review applications, emphasizing the obligation of petitioners to implead all necessary parties. (Paras 3, 6, 7)

Facts of the case:
The review petitioners challenged the order dated 27.09.2022 regarding the release of funds by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, emphasizing the need for compliance and involvement of the Ministry in the proceedings. (Paras 3, 4)

Findings of Court:
The court found no grounds for reviewing the order and stated that petitioners failed to implead necessary parties, resulting in a situation that could not hinder the review. (Paras 6, 7)

Issues: Whether the Ministry of Jal Shakti's non-joinder affects the order's implementation, and the grounds for reviewing the prior order. (Paras 4, 6)

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that failure to implead necessary parties does not justify review and that the presence of all parties during the earlier proceedings was sufficient to sustain the order. (Paras 6, 7)

Result: Review Petition dismissed.

Table of Content
1. overview of review application and previous orders. (Para 1 , 2)
2. arguments on non-joinder of necessary party. (Para 3 , 4)
3. court's rationale on party representation and obligation. (Para 5 , 6)
4. no grounds found for review of earlier order. (Para 7)
5. concluding dismissal of the review petition. (Para 8)

JUDGMENT :

DEVASHIS BARUAH, J.

Heard Mr. R. M. Das, the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the review petitioners.

2. The present review application has been filed challenging the common order dated 27.09.2022 passed in WP(C) No.3783/2022 whereby the learned Coordinate Bench of this Court after hearing the learned counsel for the parties in the said writ petition along with the batch of connected writ petitions passed the following order:-

“(1) Within 15 (fifteen) days from today, the concerned official of the State Government of Assam will communicate the supplementary budget passed in the last Assembly Session pertaining to the scheme to the competent authority of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.

(2) Within 60 (sixty) days from the date of receipt of such communication, the Ministry of Jal Shakti to release the amount due under the schemes to the concerned Department of the Government of Assam.

(3) Upon receipt of the amount, bills of the writ petitioners shall be processed and cleared within a further period of 45 days.

In view of the directions issued herein above, the respondents to complete the entire process within a period of four months from today.

A copy of this order be furnished to Mr. B. Goswami, learned Addl. Advocate General, Assam and Mr. R. K. Dev Choudhury, learned DSGI.

The written instructions dated 26.09.2022 be kept as a part of the record of this case.

All these writ petitions stand disposed of accordingly.”

3. By referring to the order dated 27.09.2022, R. M. Das, the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the review petitioners has argued that the review petition arises out of the common order dated 27.09.2022 passed in the connected writ petitions wherein, the Ministry of Jal Shakti was not made a party.

4. Contending that the pending bills could not be cleared by the State of Assam due to non-receipt of the share of contribution coming from the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Union of India, Mr. R. M. Das, the learned counsel for the review petitioners submits that these writ petitions are required to be heard afresh after serving notice upon the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Mr. R. M. Das, the learned counsel has, however, candidly submitted that the order dated 27.09.2022 passed by this Court even in respect of those writ petitions where the Ministry of Jal Shakti was impleaded as party, has not been complied with till today.

5. Be that as it may, this Court finds that by the order dated 27.09.2022 direction was also issued to the Ministry of Jal Shakti to release the amount due under the scheme. The Ministry of Jal Shakti was duly represented by Mr. R. K. Dev Choudhury, learned Deputy Solicitor General of India but no objection was raised by the learned counsel for the respondents on the ground of non- joinder of necessary party. Moreover, the said Ministry has also not sought any review of the order.

6. It was for the petitioners to implead the Ministry of Jal Shakti and if they had failed to do so resulting in a situation where the order dated 27.09.2022 cannot be implemented on technical grounds, even then, it would be for the writ petitioners to face the consequences. The same cannot, however, be a ground for this Court to review/ recall the order dated 27.09.2022, which was passed by this Court after hearing the learned counsel for the parties including the Deputy Solicitor General of India representing the Ministry of Jal Shakti in the Union of India as well as the Brahmaputra Board.

7. For the reasons stated herein above, this Court does not find any good ground to review the order dated 27.09.2022.

8. Consequently, the Review Petition is held to be devoid of any merit. The sam

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