High Court Karnataka High Court

The Union Of India vs Winston Tan on 16 March, 2009

Karnataka High Court
The Union Of India vs Winston Tan on 16 March, 2009
Author: P.D.Dinakaran(Cj) & V.G.Sabhahit
IN THE HIGH counr or 

'AT BANGALORE

Dated this the 16"! day of    % Z --

Pmsmwr

THE HONBLI3 m. P 9    %

TI-IE HoN':BLE   sanmmw

Writ Ap, pg :11 Na;?I_'_._31=9zA53;iO_7«:("§C}1'J-RES)

BETWEEN   

1 THE_L;NI(3N"oEI,NmA- V  '-
mam ozmiuamrgg  
GOVERNMEN'F.Q'FINDIR . '
NEW_DELHI_    " _

BY 1Ti3__MIN:s?R&'--..oF I«'mA«rJcI3

2 TEE COEviPE'E'E'.NT AK-ITH()RiTY
. s3,MU'c3GLERs&; FOREIGN EXCHANGE
 . - _.1MA;§:.PU%LATORsWGRFEITURE or? -

 PP.O£?EI§'f1'"{.}VACT

 T UTS.A,_V,.,64:f1: G N CHETTY ROAD

 N=nG.aR,.cfiENNA:~600 01*? .. AFPELLABFFS

[By Sri Aravind Kumar, ASG]

   'WINSTON TAN

Sf O.WINS'I'ON TAN
R[A'I'.FLA'I' NOD04
KAMALA MANSION
GROUND FLOOR

ROMENADE PLACE

 



 Ne'

filed by the respondents 1 and 2 herein, 

the order dated 23-6~2005, Whereunder the   

to have been acquired by the re_spc;'ndents_1 :-got 

forfeited in View of Section 6'.,theV' fioreilcgiii»
Exchange Manipulators.    Act, 1976
[for short, the Act],   Judge quashed
the same  .::&'remende(i:::,   to the second
respondent   further direction to
the   and 2 -- Writ petitioners
and to vihoid  proceeding further in the

matter, in  the principles of natural justice.

  Rdofioiidfiilts 3 and 4- are the original owners of the

  from whom the respondents 1 and 2 --

-V  have purchased it, after the initiation of the
 V' "faction tinder Section 6 of the Act, but however, the
 respondents 3 and 4, despite service of notice  them,

 V  u heiroided the proceedings, both before the learned Single

Judge as well as before this court, in spite of newspaper

publication of the notice in The Times of India, dated 2&2-

 



2009, notifying that the matter will be takenfup' 

hearing today.

3. The undisputed facts  __  
are treated as 'the persons',    éection
2(1) of the Act, on  t_'t'1eV_'of  Act are
attracted. A detention   came to be
passed against"   the provisions
of the   and Prevention of
Atct,~:'_'vv_:9'7uftVVFIOFEPOSA], pm-suam to

which preeeedhigdtte. the property acquired by the

V respondents   4, as provided under Section 6 of the Act,

   'on 8- 1i2H;t2003. An explanation was called from

 and 4 by the said notice issued under

 . Section V-6(i}:"'of the Act. Thereafter on 21-442004, the

it 0' ' fl--respo_ndVents 3 and 4 were served with a second notice to

-0   their explanation on or before 4-5-2004. On receipt

" efithe second notice dated 2144-12004, respondents 3 and-4

submitted their explzmation on 26«5«~2004, wherein the

respondents 3 and 4 also sought for personal hearing, on

    



which date the proceeding was adjourned  at

the request of respondents 3 and 4 and 

to 25-27-2004 and finally it was  4pg1o-2foo4o p giyin~g  

fair opportunity to the respondents_T3- and 
avoided personal hearing. 2  was 
adjourned to 16-3-20!.£:)p_$j. toVv't3(V)fl-3~20O5, on
which date too, the  absent.
As a result,  3 and 4
on 3-5~200:'.$..,.  directorate, as they
continued   -and' an order of forfeiture was

passed   Section 7(1) of the Act, which

V was    petition.

  V' In inxeanwhfle, on 10-2~2005, respondents 3 and 4

sotd   in question in favour of the respondents I

and 2 ~44 xtriit petitioners. The respondents 1 and 2 ---- writ

  pdpetifjoiiers chalienged the impugned proceedings of

h  forfeiture of the property on the grounds that they had never

  -« :been heard before passing the impugned order and that the

impugned order dated 23-6-2005 violates the principles of

 



V'  :2 person has been convicted of an ofience
   wholesale price_ of the goods in the
 ._ "-ordirufiy  of trade in India as on the date of

' the  of the ojfenoe.

* : "reactive", in relation to a person, means -

 - ! "fij : spouse of the person;

'T (ii) brother or sister of the person;

10

sectionéi, read with subsection (5) of.,
 12A, ofthatAct; or   "  

(iv) Such order of detention    u  

by a court of competent ~:' --  2 _ 

((3) every person who  _ a rehtive of
referred to in clause {afar clcmse  '    

(at) every associate perso;z._referred   (a)
or clauses (b); V ._ 'A  

(e) any holder  -'Vita' this clause _
refen*er.i"to as titeii p_re4$e§ru':3 heider) of any
propertyfi:;w'hieh  a.tVany--£:1Eme previously
held' by ~.referred»to in clause (a)
or arms (5)  thefpresent holder or,
,a"e~t.he. trtczy-.be, 'rz.v:.rg"one who held such
pmpeirfii%y_«VofierV%e:;¢h person and before the
pres-eat  __or was a transferee in
,faith ;,for_ tuieqtzate consideration

Q For  purposes of sub-clause (i)
 (a), "the...:;a£ue of any goods in relation to

Exploinatian 2.----For the purposes of clause (0),

(iii) brother or sister of the spouse of the person;



£2 
3 3:? J'
a':»*"""'"

  



18

declared as null and void. Therefore, it is not   
Court to elasticaliy extend the principles of _i1aivL:ii'ai 'j"e1s'tjce_  . 
ail the cases, where a notice is not =at  file

statute by operatian 01' law.

13. In the result,   andvyihéx impugned
order passed by thc  aside.
     Chlef Justice

Sd/-2
Judge

  ..... 

V

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