IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CWJC No.12823 of 2009 M/S GANGA TIMBER,RAJ NAGAR, Raj Nagar, Post- Raj Nagar, Chichri Buzurg, District- Madhubani through Firan Thakur s/o late Lekhan Thakur r/o village & P.O. Raj Nagar, Chichri Buzurg, P.S. Raj Nagar, District- Madhubani. Versus 1. THE STATE OF BIHAR through the Secretary, Department of Environment and Forest, Govt. of Bihar, Patna. 2. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Bihar, Patna. 3. The Conservator of Forest, Muzaffarpur. 4. The District Committee, Madhubani through its Member Secretary-cum- Divisional Forest Officer, Mithila Extension Forest Division, Darbhanga. ----------- 5 30.4.2010 It is not in dispute that petitioner applied for saw mill licence in the year 1994. After being processed, it was ultimately granted in the year 1998. It was allegedly cancelled in the year 2001. Petitioner has applied for renewal. The renewal has been refused. Hence the petitioner has come to this Court. A counter affidavit has been filed in which it is stated that the Apex Court in the case of T.Gowardhan ordered that after 1996, no fresh licence for saw mill would be issued by any State, which order continues till date and that being the matter, the licence granted to the petitioner in the year 1998 was void ab initio being in contravention to the injunction granted by the Apex Court. State has stated that initially saw mill licence has been granted for a period of six months, which petitioner has not got renewed. Renewal, after such a long period, cannot be sought. Having considered the matter, in my view, the stand of the state cannot be faulted. The very grant of saw mill licence appears 2 to be in contravention to the order of Apex Court and that being so, the petitioner does not get the right of getting renewal . In that view of the matter, the writ petition is dismissed. However, the petitioner is free to move the Apex Court for any clarification , if so advised. Singh (Navaniti Prasad Singh, J.)