IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CWJC No.16166 of 2010 Raj Kumar Sao, son of Late Ram Pravesh Sah, resident of village- Kashi Chak, P.S.-Piri Bazar, District-Lakhisarai. …… Petitioner. Versus 1. The State of Bihar. 2. The Sub Divisional Officer, Lakhisarai. 3. The Collector, Lakhisarai. …. Respondents. WITH CWJC No.17009 of 2010 Raghubir Rajak, son of Late Bishwanath Rajak, Resident of Village- Birbanna, P.O.-Sangitbaita, P.S.-Antichak (Kahalgaun), District- Bhagalpur. …. Petitioner. Versus 1. The State of Bihar through the Secretary Food and Consumer Protection Department, Old Secretariat, Patna. 2. The District Magistrate, Bhagalpur, District-Bhagalpur. 3. The Sub-Divisional Officer, Kahalgaun, District-Bhagalpur. ….. Respondents. With CWJC No.17013 of 2010 Navin Chandra Singh, son of Ram Subhag Singh, resident of village- Baruari, P.S.-Gaighat, District-Muzaffarpur. ….. Petitioner. Versus 1. The State of Bihar. 2. The Collector, Muzaffarpur. 3. The Sub-Divisional Officer, East Muzaffarpur. …. Respondents. With CWJC No.17113 of 2010 Subodh Rajak @ Subodh Kr.Rajak, son of Sri Prasadi Rajak, resident of village- Birbanna, P.O.-Sangitbaita, P.S.-Antichak (Kahalgaun), District-Bhagalpur. …. Petitioner.. Versus 1. The State of Bihar through the Secretary Food and Consumer Protection Department, Old Secretariat, Patna. 2. The District Magistrate, Bhagalpur, District-Bhagalpur. 3. The Sub-Divisional Officer, Kahalgaun, District-Bhagalpur. ….. Respondents ----------- 02/ 09.11.2010 All these cases have been heard together and are being decided by this common order as in all of them the petitioners have - 2 - challenged the orders of cancellation of their respective licences for running fair price shops on the same grounds on which their respective licences had been earlier suspended by the authorities concerned. 2. The point raised by learned counsel for the petitioners in all the aforesaid cases is that a punishment of suspension of licence has already been given to them and hence for the same offence another punishment of cancellation of their licences cannot be legally given to them by the authorities concerned in view of the provisions of the Central Government Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2001 ( hereinafter referred to as `the Central Control Order of 2001’ for the sake of brevity ) followed by the Government of Bihar, Food Supply & Commerce Department Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2001, notified vide G.S.R. 1 dated 20.02.2007 (hereinafter referred to as `the Bihar Control Order of 2001 for the sake of brevity). 3. On the other hand, learned counsel for the respondents in all the aforesaid cases vehemently opposed the contention of learned counsel for the petitioners and stated that the licences were granted to the petitioners under the Bihar Trade Articles (Licences Unification) Order, 1984 (hereinafter referred to as `the Bihar Licensing Order of 1984’ for the sake of brevity ) and hence the action for suspension/cancellation of such licences would be governed only by its provisions. Relying upon Clause 11 of the Bihar Licensing Order of 1984, it was claimed that the suspension of - 3 - licences of the petitioners were merely interim measures during the proceeding for cancellation of such licences and hence there was no bar in cancelling the licence of a licensee, which had already been suspended. He further claimed that the Bihar Licensing Order of 1984 was concerned with the licensing matter, whereas, Central Control Order of 2001 and Bihar Control Order of 2001 were with respect to Public Distribution System and the latter cannot legally govern the former. Learned counsel for the respondents also relied upon a decision of the Single Bench of this Court in case of Punsraj Begawani & another vs. The State of Bihar & another, reported in 1987 P.L.J.R. 1150. Finally learned counsel for the respondents stated that the statutory appeal has been provided under Clause 28 of the Bihar Licensing Order of 1984 as well as under Clause 15 of the Bihar Control Order of 2001 and hence these writ petitions are not maintainable on that score also. 4. Similar matters have been considered vide order dated 14.07.2010 by this Court in a batch of cases in case of Pradhuman Chaudhary vs. The State of Bihar & Ors. (C.W.J.C. No. 6966 of 2008) and analogous cases, in which it has been specifically held that after coming into force of the Bihar Control Order of 2001, the provisions of the Bihar Licensing Order of 1984 would not be applicable to the fair price shops under the Public Distribution System and for all practical purposes, the provisions of the Bihar Control Order of 2001 would be applicable. It has also been held that after coming into force of the Bihar Control Order of 2001 it was for - 4 - the authorities to select either to suspend the licences of the petitioners or to cancel them at the very initial stage. Once the punishment of suspension had been chosen by the authorities for the petitioners, there was no occasion or jurisdiction for them to pass any further order of punishment for the same offence against the petitioners, namely cancellation. Thus the impugned orders of the respondents-authorities canceling licences of the petitioners after 2007 apart from being illegal and perverse, are also absolutely without jurisdiction and hence they cannot be legally allowed to stand. 5. In the light of the aforesaid special circumstances as well as the aforesaid decision of this Court and the specific provisions of law as discussed above, the respective orders of the respondents-authorities cancelling licences of the petitioners, which are under challenge in the above-mentioned writ petitions, are hereby quashed. It is further directed that the orders of the authorities regarding suspension of the licences of the petitioners would be limited to ninety days only from the date of suspension, whereafter the respective orders of suspension of the licences of the petitioners would cease to have any legal effect. 6. With the aforesaid directions/observations, all the above-mentioned writ petitions are allowed. Sunil (S. N. Hussain, J.)