IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Civil Writ Petition No.3172 of 2011 Date of Decision : February 22, 2011. M/s S.K.Steel Industries .....Petitioner versus State of Punjab and others .....Respondents CORAM : HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE SURYA KANT. Present : Mr.B.D.Sharma, Advocate, for the petitioner. Ms.Monica Chhibbar Sharma, DAG, Punjab. -.- 1. Whether Reporters of Local papers may be allowed to see the judgment? 2. To be referred to the Reporters or not? 3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the Digest? --- Surya Kant, J. (Oral) Notice of motion. Ms.Monica Chhibbar Sharma, learned Deputy Advocate General, Punjab accepts notice on behalf of the respondents. Let two copies of the writ petition be handed over to the learned State counsel during the course of day. In view of the nature of order which I propose to pass, there is no need to seek any counter reply from the respondents at this stage. The petitioner-firm is an approved Government Contractor for supply of various furniture articles to the Government Departments and in this regard the rate contract has been entered into on 7.1.2008. C.W.P.No .3172 of 2011 2 The petitioner-firm avers that it had supplied certain furniture items to the Director, Public Instructions (Secondary Education), Punjab which were found to the entire satisfaction of the authorities as is apparent from the inspection notes dated 20.9.2008 and 13.2.2009 (Annexures P-2 & P-3, respectively). It is alleged that the petitioner-firm has been made part payment and a sum of Rs.12,78,520/- is yet to be paid. The petitioner- firm has already served the respondents with a legal notice dated 24.2.2010 (Annexure P-4) also which was responded to vide memo dated 18.3.2010 (Annexure P-5) to the effect that “the payment shall be released on receipt of funds from the Government”. The petitioner has also placed on record the memo dated 5.10.2010 (Annexure P-7) issued by the Department of Education, Punjab to the Director, Secondary Education, Punjab, to take immediate action in response to the legal notice. However, no payment has been made to the petitioner so far even though another legal notice dated 25.1.2011 (Annexure P-8) has also been issued on its behalf. Having heard learned counsel for the parties and after going through the documents placed on record, it does appear that the balance amount has been withheld for wholly insufficient reasons. However, instead of forming any view at this stage, the writ petition is disposed of with a direction to respondent Nos.2 to 5 to immediately release the admitted due payments to the petitioner-firm, preferably within a period of one month from the date of receiving a certified copy of this order, failing which the petitioner shall be entitled to the interest at the agreed rate. C.W.P.No .3172 of 2011 3 Let a copy of this order be supplied to Ms.Monica Chhibbar Sharma, Deputy Advocate General, Punjab, for information and necessary compliance. Dasti. February 22, 2011 (SURYA KANT) Mohinder JUDGE