Summarize the following court judgment. Appeal No. 1116 of 1965. Appeal from the order dated August 26	 1964 of the Punjab High Court in Civil Writ No. 498 D of 1964. M.C. Chagla	 Sardar Bahaclur	 Ajit Prasad Jain	 Vishnu B. Saharya 	and Yougindra Kaushalani	 for the appellant. V.A. Seyid Muhammad and S.P. Nayar	 for the respondents. 862 The Judgment of the Court was delivered by Sikri	 J. The appellant	 Durga Prashad	 filed a petition under article 226 of the Constitution against the respondents. The High Court of Punjab	 Circuit Bench	 Delhi	 dismissed the petition in limine. Thereupon the appellant applied for a certificate under article 133 (1)(a) of the Constitution. The High Court gave this certificate on the ground that the value of the subject matter directly involved in the petition exceeds Rs. 20	000/ . In our opinion this appeal must fail on the ground that the petition under article 226 of the Constitution was filed after great delay. The relevant facts are as under. The appellant was carrying on business of export and import	 and exported goods of the value of Rs. 8	10	325/ 	 F.O.B. value Rs. 8	03	530.45	 during the period August 25	 1958	 to September 29	 1958. On November 12	 1958	 the appellant applied for an import licence for art silk yarn of the f.o.b. value of Rs. 8	03	530.45 nP under the Export Promotion Scheme. The Export Promotion Scheme was discontinued with effect from March 6	 1959. On October 9	 1959	 import licence of the value of Rs. 3	27	841/ only was issued to the appellant by the Joint Chief Controller of Imports and Exports	 Bombay. His appeal against this order was rejected by the Joint Chief Controller on March 4	 1960. It is alleged by the appellant that he was not given a hearing. The appellant filed a second appeal to the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports	 and this was dismissed on April 22	 1961. Here again it is alleged that no ' hearing was given to the appellant. He filed a representation against the order dated April 22	 1961	 and on that representation a supplementary import licence for import of art silk yarn of the value of Rs. 30	000/ was issued to the appellant. This exhausted all the remedies he had under para 85 of the order relating to the Export Promotion Scheme	 but he instead of filing a writ chose to wait. The appellant apparently approached the Minister of International Trade by letter dated April 6	 1964 this is the letter referred to in the letter of the Private Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and the Private Secretary	 vide his letter dated April 16	 1964	 wrote to him saying that his letter had been passed on to the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports	 New Delhi	 and if so desired the appellant may see him in the matter. Apparently the Chief Controller invited him and on June 22	 1964	 he was informed that no further licence would be issued to him. On August 24	 1964	 the appellant filed the petition above mentioned in the High Court. No explanation has been given in the petition for the delay in filing the petition and it has not been explained what the appellant was doing between March 863 5	 1962	 when the supplementary licence was issued	 and April 6	 1964. It is well settled that the relief under article 226 is discretionary	 and one ground for refusing relief under article 226 is that the petitioner has filed the petition after delay for which there is no satisfactory explanation. Gajendragadkar	 C.J.	 speaking for the Constitution Bench	 n Smt. Narayani Debi Khaitan vs The State of Bihar(1)	 observed. "It is well settled that under article 226	 the power of the High Court to issue an appropriate writ is discretionary. There can be no doubt that if a citizen moves the High Court under article 226 and contends that his fundamental rights have been contravened by any executive action	 the High Court would naturally like to give relief to him; but even in such a case	 if the petitioner has been guilty of laches	 and there are other relevant circumstances which indicate that it would be inappropriate for the High Court to exercise its high prerogative jurisdiction in favour of the petitioner	 ends of justice may require that the High Court should refuse to issue a writ. There can be little doubt that if it is shown that a party moving the High Court under article 226 for a writ is	 in substance	 claiming a relief which under the law of limitation was barred at the time when the writ petition was filed	 the High Court would refuse to grant any relief in its writ jurisdiction. No hard and fast rule can be laid down as to when the High Court should refuse to exercise its jurisdiction in favour of a party who moves it after considerable delay and is otherwise guilty of laches. That is a matter which must be left to the discretion of the High Court and like all matters left to the discretion of the Court	 in this matter too discretion must be exercised judiciously and reasonably. " Relying on the judgment of this Court in Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation vs Shri Balwant Regular Motor service	 Amravati(2) the learned counsel for the appellant contends hat the delay should not debar him from seeking relief because he respondents have not suffered in any manner because of the delay. In this case Ramaswami	 J.	 speaking for the Court	 referred to an earlier decision in Moon Mills vs Industrial Court(a). (1) C.A. No. 140 of 1964; judgment dated September 22	 1964. (2) ; (3) A.I.R. 1967 S.C. 1450	 53	 54. Sup CI/69 4 864 In that case Ramaswami	 J.	. speaking for the Court	 observed: "It is true that the issue of a writ of certiorari is largely a matter of sound discretion. It is also true 'that the writ will not be granted if there is such negligence or omission on the part of the applicant to assert his right as	 taken in conjunction with the lapse of time and other circumstances	 causes prejudice to the adverse party. The principle is to a great extent	 though not identical with	 similar to the exercise of discretion in the Court of Chancery. " It would be noticed that Ramaswami	 J.	 had first examined the question of delay and came to a finding that in fact there was n delay. Ramaswami	 J.	 observed: "On behalf of the respondent Mr. B. Sen	 however	 pointed out that the conduct of the appellant does not entitle it to the grant of a writ	 because it has been guilty of acquiescence or delay. It was pointed out that the award of Mr. What was given on April 25	 1958	 but an application to the High Court for grant of a writ was made long after on November 16	 1959. We do not think there is any substance in this argument	 because the second respondent had made an application	 dated August 19	 1958 to the Labour Court for enforcement of the award and the appellant had contested that application by a Written Statement	 dated September 15	 1958. The Labour Court allowed the application on August 4	 1959 and the appellant had preferred an appeal to the Industrial Court on August 31	 1959. The decision of the industrial Court was given on October 24	 1959 and after the appeal was dismissed the appellant moved the High Court for grant of a writ on November 16	 1959. " The appellant in this case had claimed a mandamus or direction to the respondents to issue to the appellant import licence for art silk yarn of the value of Rs. 8	03	530.45. It is well know that the exchange position of this country and the policy of Government regarding International trade varies from year t year and it would be rather odd for this Court to direct that a Import licence be granted in the year 1968 in respect of allege		 default committed by the Government in 1959 or 1962. In these matters it is essential that persons who are aggrieved by order of the Government should approach the High Court after exhausting the remedies provided by law	 rule or order with utmost expedition. 865 The learned counsel for the appellant contends that this matter involved fundamental rights and this Court at least should not refuse to give relief on the ground of delay. But we are exercising our jurisdiction not under article 32 but under article 226	 and as observed. by Gajendragadkar	 C.J.	 in the passage extracted above	 even in the case of alleged breach of fundamental rights the matter must be left to the discretion of the High Court. In the result the appeal fails. Parties will bear their own costs. Y.P. Appeal dismissed.

The appellant who carried on the business of export and import applied for an import licence to import certain goods. The licence was issued in 1959 for only a part of the value applied for. He filed appeals and exhausted all the remedies under para 85 of the order relating to the Export Promotion Scheme	 as a result of which finally in March 1962 he was granted a supplementary licence to import a small part of the goods. In April 1964	 the appellant approached the Minister	 and he was informed that no further licence would be issued to him. Thereupon	 the appellant filed a petition under article 226 of the Constitution seeking a mandamus for the issue of the import licence. The High Court dismissed the petition in limine but granted certificate Under article 133(1)(a) of the Constitution. ' HELD: The appeal must fail. The petition under article 226 of the Constitution was filed after great delay. No explanation was given in the petition for the delay in filing the petition and it was not explained what the appellant was doing between March 6	 1962	 when the supplementary licence was issued	 and April 1964. The exchange position of this country and the policy of the Government regarding international trade	 varies from year to year and it would be rather odd for this Court to direct that an import licence be granted in the year 1968 in respect of alleged default committed by the Government in 1959 or 1962. In these matters it was essential that persons who were aggrieved by orders of the Government should approach the High Court after exhausting the remedies provided by law	 rule or order with utmost expedition. Even in the case of alleged breach of fundamental rights the matter must be left to the discretion of the High Court. [864 G	 865 B] Smt. Narayani Debi Khaitan vs State of Bihar	 C.A. No. 140 of 1964 judgment dated	 September 22	 1964	 Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation vs Shri Balwant Regular Motor Service	 Amravati	 ; and Moon Mills vs Industrial Court	 A.I.R.	 	 1453	 1454	 referred to.