Summarize the following court judgment. 67/1960. Petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India for enforcement of fundamental rights. 633 A. V. Viswanatha Sastri and B. B. L. Iyengar	 for the petitioners. C. K. Daphtary	 Solicitor General of India	 R. Ganapathy Iyer and R. H. Dhebar	 for the respondents. September 8. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by A SUBBA RAO J. This is a petition under article 32 of the Constitution to quash the order of the first respondent dated April 28	 1960	 and the scheme dated April 20	 1960	 and to direct the first respondent to deal with the application of the petitioner for renewal of its permit in accordance with law. The petitioner was doing business of motor transport in Bombay State for over 20 years. It had four permanent stage carriage permits granted some years ago and renewed from time to time to ply buses on the following routes: (i) Yeotmal Umerkhed. 2 return trips. (ii) Yeotmal Pusad. 4 return trips. The term of the latest permits expired on December 31	 1959. About four months prior to the expiry of the permits the petitioner applied on August 24	 1959	 for the renewal of the permits under section 58(2) of the (Act IV of 1939)	 (hereinafter called the Act). On October 29	 1959	 the State Transport Department published its proposed scheme for the nationalization of the road transport services in respect of an area which included the routes of the petitioner. On November 9	 1959	 the petitioner wrote a letter to the Secretary	 the Regional Transport Authority	 Nagpur	 asking him why its application for renewal of the stage carriage permits had not been published as required by section 57 of the Act. It also expressed its apprehension that the application was not published by the Regional Transport Authority with a view to assist the State Transport Department in ousting it from the said routes and that the Authority was creating a situation in order to force the petitioner to accept temporary permits under section 62(d) of the Act . The Secretary	 the Regional Transport 634 Authority	 by his letter dated November 11	 1959	 replied to the effect that the application for renewal had been published on November 8	 1959	 and that the said application would be considered before the expiry date and that no question of issuing temporary permits would arise. On November 19	 1959	 the Assistant Manager of the State Transport Department on behalf of the State Transport Department filed applications before the Regional Transport Authority for issue of permits to it in respect of the said two routes among others. It was mentioned therein that as per the notification published in the Bombay Government Gazette dated October 29	 1959	 the Provincial Transport Services proposed to take over the aforesaid routes from January 1	 1960. The Provincial Transport Services also filed objections against the renewal of the permits in favour of the petitioner. On December 10	 1959	 the said applications were published in the Gazette and it was notified therein that representations	 if any	 should be submitted on or before December 15	 1959	 and that the said objections along with the applications for permits would be considered in a meeting to be held by the Regional Transport Authority in the month of December	 1959	 at Nagpur or at a later date which may be notified in due course. On December 21	 1959	 the Secretary of the Regional Transport Authority intimated to the petitioner that in the meeting of the Regional Transport Authority scheduled to be held on December 31	 1959	 it would not be possible to consider its applications for renewal due to " heavy agenda ". It was also suggested to it to apply for the grant of temporary permits pending renewal in good time so that they could be issued before the due date. The petitioner on the same date replied to that letter wherein it pointed out that " the heavy agenda mentioned in your letter is	 we hold	 a design to cover your attempt to ad Vance the cause of the Provincial Transport Services	 (U. G. O.)	 Nagpur ". Without prejudice to its rights the petitioner applied for temporary permits as directed by the Authority On December 29	 1959	 temporary permits were issued for one month from January 1	 635 1960	 and thereafter they were extended for another month and made available upto March 31	 1960. The 	next meeting of the Regional Transport Authority scheduled to be held on February 5	 1960	 was adjourned to February 24	 1960	 and on January 22	 1960	 the Chief Minister of Bombay issued notices to the petitioner and others that objections to the proposed scheme would be heard on February 24	 1960; but on the said date the applications were not disposed of on the ground that the matter was sub judice in the High Court of Bombay. On March 17	 1960	 the Provincial Transport Services filed a fresh application before the Regional Transport Authority under Ch. IVA of the Act for the grant of permits for plying buses on the routes mentioned therein. It was also brought to the notice of the Regional Transport Authority that the Provincial Transport Services desired to operate tile routes in question from May 1	 1960	 or any other date as may be fixed by the Regional Transport Authority. Presumably	 the second application was filed as the earlier application was filed not under Ch. IV but Under Ch. IVA of the Act on the basis of the proposed scheme. On March 31	 1960	 the Regional Transport Authority met again	 but the applications for renewal of permits filed by the petitioner were not taken up for consideration. It is suggested that as 30 days had not expired from the date of the filing of the applications by the Provincial Transport Services the petitioner 's applications could not be taken up for consideration. On April 14	 1960	 the Chief Minister of Bombay heard the objections and on April 19	 1960	 the scheme with modifications was duly approved by the Government and published on April 20	 1960. The approved scheme covered only the routes in respect of which only tem porary permits were issued and excluded the routes in regard to which pucca permits were issued. The approved scheme included the petitioner 's routes. On April 20	 1960	 the applications were again adjourned to April 29	1960. On April 26	 1960	 the petitioner moved this Court under Art.32 of the Constitution and on April 28	 1960	 the petition was dismissed as premature. 636 On the same day even though the Regional Transport Authority was informed that this Court was moved by the petitioner its renewal applications were rejected on the ground that the scheme was approved by the Government. The present petition was filed on April 29	 1960	 for the aforesaid reliefs. The main contention of learned counsel	 Mr. A. V. Viswanatha Sastri	 for the petitioner	 is that the Regional Transport Authority was actuated by mala fides in the disposal of the applications for renewal of the permits	 and that though under the provisions of the Act it had no alternative but to renew the permits of the petitioner it adjourned the matter from time to time with an evil design to enable the Government to approve the scheme. In that situation	 he contends	 the proper course is to set aside the order of the Regional Transport Authority and direct it to dispose of the petitioner 's applications for renewal of permits as on the date when they were filed. To appreciate this argument it is necessary to notice some of the relevant provisions of the Act. Under section 58 of the Act	 " A stage carriage permit or a contract carriage permit. . shall be effective without renewal for such period	 not less than three years and not more than five years	 as the Regional Transport Authority may specify in the permit ". Clause (2) provides for the renewal of permits on application made and disposed of as if it were an application for a permit. Section 57 prescribes the procedure in the matter of the disposal of applications for permits. Section 57 (1) enables the filing of an application for a permit at any time	 and clause (2) of that section says that such an application shall be made not less than six weeks before the date on which it is desired that the permit shall take effect	 and	 under cl. (3) thereof	 on receipt of such an application for permit the Regional Transport Authority shall publish the application in the prescribed manner calling for representations to be made on a date not being less than 30 days from the date of publication. After hearing the said objections and representations	 the applications will be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of 637 the Act. Section 62 enables the Regional Transport Authority to grant permits without following the procedure prescribed under section 57 to be effective for a limited period not in any case to exceed four months	 to authorize the use of a transport vehicle temporarily pending decision on an application for the renewal of a permit. The second proviso to that section states that a temporary permit under the said section shall	 in no case	 be granted more than once in respect of any route or area specified in an application for the renewal of a permit during the pendency of such application for renewal. Section 68F enables the State Transport Undertaking	 in pursuance of an approved scheme	 to apply in the manner specified in Ch. IV for a stage carriage permit in respect of a notified route and on such an application the Regional Transport Authority shall issue such a permit to the said Undertaking notwithstanding anything contained to the contrary in Ch. Under cl. (2) of that section	 for the purpose of giving effect to the approved scheme in respect of a notified area or notified route	 the Regional Transport Authority may by order refuse to entertain any application for the renewal of any other permit	 to cancel any existing permit or to modify the terms of any existing permit. Section 68G prescribes the principles and method of determining compensation in respect of the permits cancelled or modified. The foregoing provisions	 so far relevant to the present enquiry	 may be summarized thus: An operator of a stage carriage may apply for renewal of his permit not less than 60 days before the date of its expiry; the said application will be disposed of as if it were an application for a permit and he will be given preferential treatment	 the other conditions being equal; the Act does not prescribe any outer limit for disposal of the application for renewal of a permit	 for its disposal would depend upon the applications filed by others and the time required for complying with the conditions laid down in section 57; but the requirement that the application shall be filed not less than 60 days before the date of the expiry	 the injunction that pending an application for 638 renewal of a permit	 temporary permit shall not be given more than once and the time limit of four months for a temporary permit fixed in section 62 indicate that	 though there is no statutory prohibition	 the application is expected to be disposed of ordinarily before the term of the	 permit expired or	 in case of unavoidable delay	 within a reasonable time thereafter; after a scheme has been approved	 if the State Transport Undertaking applies for a permit	 the Regional Transport Authority shall issue the permit to it and for the purpose of giving effect to the approved scheme the said Authority is authorized to refuse to entertain an application for renewal of any other permit or cancel or modify any existing permit; if the Regional Transport Authority cancels or modifies a permit	 compensation is	 payable to the operator affected. In the present case the permits expired on December 31	 1959. The petitioner filed applications for renewal on August 24	 1959	 and they were rejected on the ground that there was an approved scheme on April 28	 1960. On December 29	 1959	 temporary permits were granted for one month and after the expiry of those permits	 another set of temporary permits was issued for another month ending with March 31	 1960. It is true that under the second proviso to section 62 temporary permits could not have been granted more than once	 but a transgression of that provision by the Regional Transport Authority does not affect the question raised. As the provisions of the Act do not prescribe any time limit for the disposal of an application for renewal of permits	 we cannot hold that the Regional Transport Authority acted without jurisdiction in rejecting the applications some months after the date of the expiry of the terms of the permits. If there was any inordinate delay in the disposal of an application	 it was open to the affected party to ask for a mandamus to direct the appropriate Authority to dispose of the petition within a reasonable time. But no such step was taken by the petitioner	 though it filed a writ petition in the High Court for other reliefs. 639 The next question is whether the Regional Transport Authority exceeded its power in rejecting the applications. In this context it will be convenient to read the relevant portions of section 68F	 which read: Section 68F: "(1) Where	 in pursuance of an approved scheme	 any State transport undertaking applies. . . for a stage carriage permit the Regional Transport Authority shall issue such permit to the State transport undertaking. . . (2) For the purpose of giving effect to the approved scheme in respect of a notified area or notified route	 the Regional Transport Authority may	 by order	 (a) refuse to entertain any application for the renewal of any other permit. " Learned counsel for the petitioner contends that section 68F applies only when an application for permit is made by a State Transport Undertaking in pursuance of an approved scheme and that in the present case as the application was filed by the State Transport Undertaking before the scheme was approved	 the provisions of the section were not attracted. It is true that under section 68F the Regional Transport Authority is bound to issue a permit to a State Transport Undertaking only ' if it applies in pursuance of an approved scheme. That is why in the present proceedings the Authority did not issue any permit to the State Transport Undertaking; but sub section (2) of section 68F is not conditioned by any such limitation. The Regional Transport Authority is authorized for the purpose of giving effect to an approved scheme to refuse to entertain an application for renewal of any other permit. This power does not depend upon the presentation of an application by the State Transport Undertaking for a permit. This power is exercisable when it is brought to the notice of the Authority that there is an approved scheme and	 to give effect to it	 the application for renewal cannot be entertained. By the time the application for renewal came to be disposed of	 admittedly the scheme had been approved by the Government of Bombay and the routes in question were included in the said scheme. Therefore$ 82 640 the Authority was within its rights not to entertain the applications filed by the petitioner. It is contended that the word " entertain " refers to an application filed for the renewal of a permit after the scheme was approved and that the said provision has no relevance to an application for renewal made before that date. The word " entertain " may mean " to receive on file or keep on file "	 and in that sense the Authority may refuse to keep an application on its file by 1. rejecting it either at the time it is filed or thereafter. It does not connote any time but only describes the scope of the duty under that clause. It can only mean that the Authority cannot dispose of the application on merits but can reject it as not maintainable. Any other meaning given to this word leads to an anomalous position	 for even if the approval of a scheme had been brought to the notice of the Regional Transport Authority	 it would have to order the renewal of the permit and thereafter it would have to cancel the permit	 presumably	 on an application filed by the State Transport Undertaking. We do not think that the legislature used the word " entertain " to bring about that result. A wider meaning of the word " entertain " would enable the smooth working of the provisions of the section and we have no reason to accept the narrower meaning suggested by the learned counsel. We	 therefore	 hold that the Regional Transport Authority had power under section 68F(2) of the Act in the circumstances of the case to reject the applications filed by the petitioner. The next contention of the learned counsel is that the scheme suffers from the vice of discrimination inasmuch as	 though it excluded the petitioner from operating on the route between Yeotmal and Umerkhed	 it allowed others to ply their buses on that route on their way from Akola to Umerkhed or Amravati to Umerkhed. There is no basis for this argument in the affidavit filed by the petitioner is support of the writ petition. We do not think that we are justified in allowing the petitioner to raise the plea for the first time before us. We do not	 therefore	 allow it to do so. 641 Lastly it is argued that the Chief Minister confirmed the scheme on extraneous considerations not covered by section 68C of the Act. In paragraph 24 of his order the Chief Minister observed	 " On merits	 it is quite clear to me that having regard to the resources of the P. T. section and the amenities that it provides to the public	 it is in the public interest that the scheme submitted by the P. T. section	 Nagpur	 should be approved ". Under section 68C the question that arose for consideration before the Chief Minister was whether the transport services should be run by the State Transport Under. taking to the exclusion of the petitioner and whether it was necessary to do so in public interest to provide an efficient	 adequate	 economical and properly co ordinated road transport service. The Chief Minister found on the material placed before him that it was necessary in the public interest that the scheme submitted by the Provincial Transport Services should be approved. In support of his conclusion	 he took into consideration that the Provincial Transport Services were in possession of sufficient resources and were in a better position to provide amenities to the public and therefore in public interest they should be given preference over the private operators of buses. We cannot say that the Chief Minister took any extraneous circumstances into consideration in coming to that conclusion. The record in this case is not indicative of promptitude or efficiency in the matter of discharge of the statutory functions by the Regional Transport Authority. The various dates	 the reasons given for putting off the disposal of the petitions for renewal from time to time and the timing and the manner of the final disposal are such as may legitimately give rise to the allegation that the Regional Transport Authority was not	 to say the least	 fair and impartial in the discharge of its duties. A statutory tribunal is expected to discharge its functions fairly and without bias even in a case where the interests of the Government are involved. Considering the facts and circumstances of this case	 we cannot say that the complaint of the petitioner that the adjournments were not for the 642 reasons mentioned in the orders but were only to give time to enable the Government to approve the scheme	 may not be wholly unjustified. In the circumstances	 though we are dismissing the application	 we are not awarding any costs to the respondents. Petition dismissed.

As the petitioner 's stage carriage permits were to expire on December 31	 1959	 it made applications for a renewal of them 81 632 on August 24	 1959. on December 29	 1959	 temporary permits were granted to the petitioner for one month and thereafter for another	 made available up to March 31	 196o. The matter was adjourned from time to time and ultimately on April 28	 196o	 the petitioner 's applications were rejected on the ground that a scheme of nationalisation including the petitioner 's routes had in the meantime been approved by the Government on April 20	 196o. The petitioner applied under article 32 of the Constitution for a writ quashing the said order and the scheme	 on the ground that the Regional Transport Authority was actuated by mala fides and its real purpose in granting the adjournments was to enable the Government to approve of the scheme	 and for a direction that the petitioner 's applications for renewal might be disposed of according to law as on the date when they were filed. Held	 that the petition must fail. The 	 does not prescribe any time limit for the disposal of an application for renewal of permits and it cannot be said that the Regional Transport Authority in the instant case acted without jurisdiction in rejecting the applications even though months had elapsed after the permits had expired and notwithstanding that section 62 permitted the issue of no more than one temporary permit. Even so	 the relevant provisions of the Act indicate that an application for renewal of a permit has to be disposed of ordinarily before the expiry of the permits or within a reasonable time thereafter. It was	 therefore	 open to the petitioner	 if it was aggrieved by the delay	 to ask for a mandamus directing the Authority to dispose of its applications within a reasonable time. Although section 68F(1) of the Act applies only where the State Transport Undertaking applies for a permit in pursuance of an approved scheme	 section 68F(2) is not conditioned by any such limitation and the word 'entertain used by it does not refer to an application filed for the renewal of a permit after the approval of the scheme. That word does not connote any time but describes the scope and duty under that clause and only means that the Authority cannot dispose of an application on merits but can reject it as not maintainable either at the time it is filed or thereafter. Statutory bodies are in duty bound to act promptly and efficiently and discharge their functions fairly and without bias even where the Government is interested. The conduct of the Regional Transport Authority	 in the instant case	 in granting adjournments	 not for the reasons they purported to be but to enable the Government to approve of the scheme	 must be disapproved.