WP/4779/2011 1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE OF BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD WRIT PETITION NO.4779 OF 2011 Shantaram Waghu Sonawane VERSUS The Minister For Textile And Marketing And Anr ... Shri Nagargoje Ankush N. , Advocate for Petitioner Shri Dighe V.H., AGP for Respondents ... CORAM : D B BHOSALE & S B DESHMUKH, JJ. DATED : July 12, 2011 ... PER COURT :- 1. Heard respective counsel. 2. The petitioner, by this Writ Petition seeks direction to respondent 1 to decide his appeal filed on 15.3.2011 (Exhibit "C" to the petition) within a stipulated period. 3. According to the petitioner, he was appointed as a Clerk in Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, Jalgaon in the year 1977. On 13.11.1997 he was promoted as Secretary. He is due to retire on 31.7.2012. He came to be terminated from the service by order dated 26.12.2009. Aggrieved thereby, the petitioner preferred an appeal before the Director of Marketing, Pune. Said appeal came to be dismissed on 15.11.2010. The petitioner preferred Writ Petition No.11262 of 2010 before this Court against the said order of Director of Marketing, WP/4779/2011 2 which came to be disposed of in view of the alternate remedy available to the petitioner. 4. The petitioner, thereafter, filed Second Appeal under Rule 104 of the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Rules, 1967 before respondent No.1 - Honourable Minister for Textile and Marketing, on 15.3.2011. According to the petitioner, inspite of his persistent efforts, said appeal is still pending and no steps are being taken by respondent 1 to decide the same. Hence, as said earlier, the petitioner has filed this Writ Petition with a limited prayer seeking direction to respondent 1 to decide the said appeal within a stipulated period. 5. The appeal of the petitioner is pending for adjudication before respondent No.1 - Honourable Minister for Textile and Marketing since 15.3.2011. As contended by petitioner, he is due to retire on 31.7.2012. Anxiety of the petitioner to get the issue settled prior to his retirement cannot be termed unjust. 6. In the result, Writ Petition is allowed in terms of prayer clause (A). Respondent No.1 - Honourable Minister for Textile and Marketing is directed to decide the petitioner's appeal filed under Rule 104 of the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Rules, 1967 within twelve weeks from the date of receipt of WP/4779/2011 3 this order. Petitioner is directed to produce copy of this order before respondent 1 within two weeks from today. [ S B DESHMUKH, J. ] [ D B BHOSALE, J. ] akl