In State of U. P. vs Manbodhan Lal Srivastava (1) this Court observed that no general rule can be laid down but the object of the statute must be looked at and even if the provision be worded in a mandatory form, if its neglect would work serious general inconvenience or injustice to persons who have no control over those entrusted with the duty and at the same time would not promote the main object of the Legislature, it is to be treated only as directory and the neglect of it though punishable would not affect the validity of the acts done; These observations have been followed in other cases and recently in Bhikraj vs Union of India (2) it was observed that where a statute requires that a thing shall be done in a particular manner or form but does not itself set out the consequences of non compliance the question whether the prescription of law shall be treated as mandatory or directory could only be solved by regarding the object, purpose and scope of that law.