IN THE HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY AT GOA WRIT PETITION NO. 104 OF 2008 SMT. LAXIMI LAXMAN TORASKAR ... Petitioner Versus SECRETARY (PANCHAYAT) AND 2 ORS., ... Respondents Mr. N. Shirodkar, Advocate for the Petitioner. Ms. L. Dharwadkar, Additional Government Advocate for the Respondent No.1. Coram:- N. A. BRITTO, J. Date:- 28th March, 2008 P.C.:- Heard Mr. N. Shirodkar, learned Counsel on behalf of the Petitioner and Ms. L. Dharwadkar, learned Additional Government Advocate on behalf of the Respondent No.1. For the view being taken, notices to Respondent Nos.2 and 3 are dispensed with. The Petitioner had challenged the Resolution of the Village Panchayat of Penha de Franca as regards the construction of a road in her property surveyed under Nos. 148/78 and 149/6 before the Director of Panchayats, Panaji, and, the Additional Director of Panchayats by Order dated 28-6-2005 was pleased to dismiss the Petitioner's petition and allow the said Village Panchayat to construct the said road in survey No.148/7. As against the said Order, the Petitioner approached this Court in Writ Petition No.2/2007 and by Order dated 15-3-2007 the Government was directed to consider the correctness or otherwise of the Order of the said Additional Director, in terms of sub-section(2) of Section 178 of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994. Consequently, the Government through its Secretary(Panchayats) has passed the impugned Order dated 13-9-2007 which is the subject matter of this Writ Petition. The impugned Order reads thus:- "Present Shri G. Naik, Advocate and Smt. Laxmi Toraskar, Petitioner. The petition is finally decided and therefore these proceedings for conformation of interim order under Section 178(1) are rendered infructuous and therefore closed". Ms. L. Dharwadkar, learned Additional Government Advocate on behalf of the Respondent No.1 concedes that the petition has not been finally decided. The impugned Order shows that it has been passed without application of mind and there are no reasons forthcoming in support of the same. It is well said that reasons are heart beats of every conclusion without which it becomes lifeless. The impugned Order is lifeless. It is well settled, in the expanding horizon of the principles of natural justice, that requirement to record reasons, is regarded as one of the principles of natural justice which governs exercise of power by administrative authorities. Recording of reasons are insisted upon on two grounds: (a) it enables the party to demonstrate before the next Higher Authority that the reasons which persuaded the authority to reject his case are erroneous, (b) the obligation to record reasons operates as a deterrent against possible arbitrary action by the executive authority invested with judicial power. Consequently, the impugned Order dated 13-9-2007 is hereby set aside and the Government through its Secretary(Panchayats) is hereby directed to dispose of the petition of the Petitioner by a reasoned order, as required by Order dated 15-3-2007 of this Court passed in Writ Petition No.2/2007 as expeditiously as possible and in any event within a period of four weeks, after hearing all concerned. The petition is disposed of on the above terms with no order as to costs. N. A. BRITTO, J. RD.