K.A. Abdul Gafoor, J.

The first petitioner in each of these Original Petitions is the Association of Ration Retail Dealers, and other petitioners are authorised ration retail distributors. They have approached this court seeking a direction restraining the respondents from initiating any action against the petitioners or other retail dealers to suspend or cancel their authorisation solely on the reason that the off take by the card holders during the last week of May, 1997 was high. The petitioners in O.P. 10539 of 1997 belongs to Thodupuzha Taluk and in O.P. 10768/1997 belong to Peerumedu Taluk.

2. The petitioners submit that there was advanced announcement of increase in price of ration articles to be effective from 1.6.1997. Therefore, there was a high rate of off take during the last week of May, 1997 by the consumers. Therefore, the petitioners had to intend more goods than they had intended during the earlier weeks. Consequently, the week ending balance as on 31.5.1997 was comparatively less than the earlier weekends. Thus, taking it as an irregularity or malpractice, there was investigation with reference to the stock of all the ration retail dealers. The petitione