IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH AT GWALIOR BEFORE HON'BLE SHRI JUSTICE AMIT SETH WRIT PETITION No. 17282 of 2025 M/S SAHNI FUELS THROUGH PROPRIETOR SHRI AYANDEEP SAHNI Versus INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LIMITED AND OTHERS Appearance:

Shri Naval Kumar Gupta - Senior Advocate with Shri Harshavardhan Topre and Shri YPS Rathore - Advocate for the petitioner.

Shri Sankalp Sharma - Advocate for the respondents.

Reserved on : 11/11/2025 Delivered on : 05/12/2025 .....................................................................................................................

ORDER

1.With the consent of parties, the matter is heard finally.

2. The petitioner has filed the instant writ petition under Articles

226(1) and 226(2) of the Constitution of India claiming the following reliefs:-

"i. That the present writ petition may kindly be allowed. ii. That, the writ in nature of Certiorari against the respondents may kindly be issued and the impugned Termination Notice dated 21.04.2025 bearing No. BHDO/Sahni Fuels issued by Chief General Manager and State Head Madhya Pradesh State Office may kindly be set aside as the same being illegal, arbitrary and without any authority.

iii. That, the respondents may kindly be directed to restart the supply of Petrol (MS)/High Speed Diesel (HSD) and other Petroleum products at the retail outlet/petrol pump of the petitioner in the same manner as it was prior to issuing of termination notice/letter without forcing the petitioner to enter into any new agreement qua dealership agreement.

iv. That, a writ in nature of Mandamus may kindly be issued against the respondents directing them not to harass the petitioner by the illegal acts and by way of the modus operandi adopted by them against the terms and conditions of Marketing Discipline Guidelines, 2012.

v. That, the respondents may kindly be directed to pay to the petitioner compensation towards mental agony and loss of business and good will to the petitioner.

vi. That, the respondents may kindly be directed to pay the expenses of present proceedings and other legal proceedings and vii. Any other relief/direction/order which this Hon’ble Court deems fit in the interest of justice."

3. Brief facts leading to filing of the instant writ petition are as under:- 3.1 The petitioner was awarded a retail outlet dealership of Indian Oil Corporation Limited at District Shivpuri (M.P.) in the year 2022. The respondents, imposed the e-lock charges on the transportation of the motor spirits/high speed diesel, which according to the petitioner was in contravention to the Marketing Discipline Guidelines, 2012 (MDG, 2012) and therefore, the petitioner objected to the said levy by submitting the complaints to the respondents in this regard.

3.2 Initially, vide order dated 17.07.2023, the retail outlet dealership of the petitioner was suspended for a period of 15 days, citing certain shortcomings on the part of the petitioner in operating the dealership in question. The aforesaid suspension order came to be challenged by the petitioner before this Court in W.P. No.21102/2023 wherein, apart from the challenge to the order of suspension, a relief was also prayed by the petitioner seeking a restrain direction to the respondents/Corporation from levying e-lock/maintenance of e-lock charges from the petitioner.

3.3 The said W.P. No.21102/2023 came to be finally disposed of by this Court vide order dated 05.02.2025 wherein, no interference was caused in the order of suspension, as by then the period of 15 days already stood expired. However, the relief prayed by the petitioner, seeking restrain direction to the respondents/Corporation from recovering e-locking charges from the petitioner was quashed.

3.4 It appears that during the pendency of the said writ petition, vide fact-finding letters dated 2.8.2023 and 18.08.2023 issued by the respondents to the petitioner, the explanation was called for from the petitioner by the respondents that when the committee of the respondents visited the