{"id":188529,"date":"2008-09-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-09-07T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/ms-s-mira-commodities-pvt-vs-union-of-india-on-8-september-2008"},"modified":"2014-10-27T14:11:14","modified_gmt":"2014-10-27T08:41:14","slug":"ms-s-mira-commodities-pvt-vs-union-of-india-on-8-september-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/ms-s-mira-commodities-pvt-vs-union-of-india-on-8-september-2008","title":{"rendered":"M\/S.S.Mira Commodities Pvt. vs Union Of India on 8 September, 2008"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Madras High Court<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">M\/S.S.Mira Commodities Pvt. vs Union Of India on 8 September, 2008<\/div>\n<pre>       \n\n  \n\n  \n\n \n \n BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT\n\nDATED: 08\/09\/2008\n\nCORAM\nTHE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE K.CHANDRU\n\nW.P.(MD)No.5701 of 2008\nW.P.(MD)Nos.5284,6108,6119,6188,6189,\n6324,6388, 6389 6438, 6455, of 2008\nand\nM.P.(MD)Nos.1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 and 1 of 2008 in W.P(MD).Nos.5284 , 5701, 6108 ,\n6188,  6189, 6324, 6388, 6389, 6438, 6455, 6119 of 2008\nand\nM.P.(MD).Nos.2,2,2,2,2,2 and 2 of 2008 in\nW.P(MD).Nos.5284, 5701,6108 6119,6188,\n6189,6324,6438,6455, of 2008\nand\nM.P.(MD).Nos.3 and 3 of 2008 in W.P.(MD).Nos.5284 and 6108 of 2008\n\n\n1.M\/s.S.Mira Commodities Pvt., Ltd.,\n  Rep. by its Director Mr.Farook Shabbir Noorani,\n  601, C.Halima Apartments, 96, Morland Road,\n  Mumbai-400 008.\t\t    ...Petitioner in WP 5701\/08\n\n2.M\/s.S.Mira Group of Companies,\n  Rep. by its Proprietor Mr.Farook Shabeer Noorani\n  337, Central Facility Building, A.P.M.C.Market-1,\n  Phase-II, Sector-19, Vashi,\n  Navi Mumbai-400705.\t\t    ..Petitioner in WP 6438\/08\n\n\n3.M\/s.Ayesha Commercial Trade Services,\n  Rep. by its Proprietor Mr.Farook Shabeer Noorani,\n  601-c, Halima Apartments,\n  95, Morland Road,\n  Mumbai-400 008.                   ..Petitioner in WP 6455\/08\n\n4.M\/s.Radhakrishna Trading Co.,\n  Rep. by its Proprietor Vijay Sajnani,\n  Maskasath Square,\n  Sambhaji Kasar Road,\n  Itwari, Nagpur,\n  Maharashtra-440 002.\n                                    ..Petitioner in WPs 6119,6388\/08\n\n5.M\/s.Alyunus Exports Corporation,\n  Rep. by its Director Mr.Farook Shabbir Noorani,\n  337, Central Facility Building, A.P.M.C.Market-1,\n  Phase-II, Sector-19, Vashi,\n  Navi Mumbai-400 705.\t            ..Petitioner in WP 6189\/08\n\n6.M\/s.Empire Exports,\n  Rep. by its Director Mr.Bimal Kumar Modi,\n  1,Govind Chandra Dhar Lane,\n  Kolkatta-700 001\t\n\t\t\t            ..Petitioner in WP 6188\/08\n7.M\/s.Zhi Trading Company,\n  Rep. by its Proprietor\n  Mr.Shabbir Haji Issak Noorani,\n  601-c, Halima Apartments,\n  95, Morland Road,\n  Mumbai-400 008.           \t    .. Petitioner in WP.6324\/08\n\n8.M\/s.Unik Traders,\n  No.140, Old Tharagupet,\n  Bangalore by its Proprietor\n  Hanif Thara.              \t    ..Petitioner in WP 5284\/08\n\n9.M\/s.Shri Shiv Enterprises,\n  Chhottalal Madhavji Buildings\n  Itwari, Maharashtra,\n  Rep. by its Proprietor Mr.Prakash Suchak.\n\t\t\t\t    ..Petitioner in WP 6108\/08\n\n10.M\/s.Anil Industries,\n   Chhikhli Layout,\n   Plot No.88, Kalamina Road,\n   Small Factory Area, Near\n   Thaukar Jarda, Nagpur,\n   Maharashtra-440 008.       \t    ..Petitioner in WP 6389\/08\n\nvs.\n\n1.Union of India,\n  Rep. by its Secretary,\n  Ministry of Commerce and Industry,\n  Department of Commerce,\n  Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi-110 001.\n\n2.The Director General of Foreign Trade\n    and Ex-Officio Additional Secretary,\n  to Government of Commerce,\n  Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi-110 001.\n\n3.The Commissioner of Customs,\n  Custom House, New Harbour Estate,\n  Tuticorin-628 004.\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t   ... Respondents in all the W.Ps\n\nPRAYER in 5701 of 2005\n\nWrit Petitions filed under Article 226 of the\nConstitution of India praying for issuance of a Writ of Declaration, declaring\nthe Policy condition in impugned Notification No.15(RE-2008)\/2004-2009, dated\n04.06.2008, (in respect of all W.Ps) issued by the 2nd respondent in so far as\nit restricts the free import of Betel Nuts only to those of value of Rs.35\/- per\nKilogram and above as illegal, arbitrary, unconstitutional and in violation of\nthe rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India.\n\n!For Petitioners   ...\tMr.B.Kumar Senior Counsel\n\t\t\tFor Mr.B.Satish Sundar,\n\t\t\t    Mr.A.K.Jayaraj,\n\t\t\t    and Mr.P.Dhanapal\n^For Respondents   ... \tMr.C.Arul Vadivel @ Sekar\n\t\t\tAssistant Solicitor General \t\t\t\n\t\n                         *****\n<\/pre>\n<p>:COMMON ORDER<\/p>\n<p>\tThe prayer in all these writ petitions is for declaring the policy<br \/>\ncondition imposed by the Director General of Foreign Trade vide its notification<br \/>\nNo.15     (RE-2008)\/2004-2009, dated 04.06.2008, insofar as it restricts the<br \/>\nfree trade of Betal nuts for a value of Rs.35\/ per kilo gram including C.I.F.<br \/>\nvalue (Cost, Insurance and Freight) by notification dated 04.06.2008 as<br \/>\nunconstitutional, arbitrary and violative of rights guaranteed under the<br \/>\nConstitution.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t2.\tSince the questions raised in all these writ petitions are one and<br \/>\nthe same, they were all heard together and a common order is passed.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t3.\tHeard Mr.B.Kumar, learned Senior Counsel appearing for all the<br \/>\npetitioners and Mr.C.Arul Vadivel @ Sekar  learned Assistant Solicitor General<br \/>\nand perused the records.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t4.\tAt the the time of admission in all these cases, interim orders were<br \/>\ngranted. It is only when the second respondent filed a vacate stay application<br \/>\nsupported by a counter affidavit, the matter was taken up for final hearing by<br \/>\nthe consent of parties.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t5.\tIt is stated by the petitioners that the petitioners are all<br \/>\nimporters of betal nuts and spices.  The petitioners were importing betal nuts<br \/>\nfrom the countries such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka, since there is a great deal<br \/>\nof demand in India.  The local production in this country of betal nuts do not<br \/>\neven meet 10% of the demand of the manufacturers. Therefore, import of betal<br \/>\nnuts became a necessity as there is a wide spread requirement for such betal<br \/>\nnuts for the manufacture of Supari, Sugants and Pan masala.  The policy of betal<br \/>\nnuts is not restricted and even as per the impugned notification, the import is<br \/>\nmade free. Apart from this, there is 100% duty imposed by the Customs on the<br \/>\nimported betal nuts.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t6.  The cost of purchase of such betel nuts normally varies between<br \/>\nRs.15\/- to Rs.20\/- in foreign countries.   This fact has been even admitted by<br \/>\nthe second respondent in the counter affidavit dated 01.08.2008, wherein it is<br \/>\nshown that the import price of betel nuts (whole) comes to Rs.15.50 paisa per<br \/>\nkilo gm and split betel nuts comes to Rs.13\/- per kilo gm.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t7.\tBy the impugned notification the importers were directed to import<br \/>\nthe betel nuts provided C.I.F. value of the betel nuts is provided at Rs.35\/-<br \/>\nper kg.  According to the petitioners, such a fixation of Rs.35\/- per kg. with<br \/>\nC.I.F. value is arbitrary and curtails the right of the importers under Articles<br \/>\n19(1)(g) and 301 of the Constitution.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t8.\tIt is further contended that when import policy with reference to<br \/>\nparticular good namely betel nuts is a free policy, then there is no question of<br \/>\nrestricting the right of the importers and the policy introduced by the second<br \/>\nrespondent has no legal sanctity.  It is stated that in para:2.1 of the Foreign<br \/>\nTrade Policy ( for short &#8216;FTP&#8217;) provides exports and imports shall be free<br \/>\nexcept where regulated by FTP or other law for the time being in force.  Para<br \/>\n2.6 of the FTP, empowers the respondents to impose restrictions on imports by<br \/>\nway of notifications for achieving the following purposes only:-<br \/>\n&#8220;i. Protection of public morals.\n<\/p>\n<p>ii.Protection of human, animal or plant life or health.<br \/>\niii.Protection of patents, trademarks and copyrights and the prevention of<br \/>\ndeceptive practices.\n<\/p>\n<p>iv.Prevention of use of prison labour.\n<\/p>\n<p>v.Protection of national treasures of artistic, historic or archaeological<br \/>\nvalue.\n<\/p>\n<p>vi.Conservation of exhaustible natural resources.<br \/>\nvii.Protection of trade of fissionable material or material from which they are<br \/>\nderived; and<br \/>\nviii.Prevention of traffic in arms, ammunition and implements of war.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>\t9.\tSince the policy introduced by the impugned notification does not<br \/>\nadvance any of the causes listed above, the said policy is arbitrary.  It is<br \/>\nfurther submitted that the Foreign Trade (Development Regulation Act) 1992, (for<br \/>\nshort &#8216;FTDR&#8217;) does not authorise the second respondent to restrict the import of<br \/>\nbetel nuts on the basis of fixing a minimum import price. It is also stated that<br \/>\nthe petitioners have long term contracts with their foreign suppliers and<br \/>\npursuant to the contracts, goods have arrived in various ports and therefore,<br \/>\nthey should be allowed to import without insisting the price of the goods fixed<br \/>\nat Rs.35\/- (C.I.F) per kg.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t10.\tIn support of their submissions, the petitioners have also filed<br \/>\nvarious agreements between them and the foreign suppliers.  The trade<br \/>\ncommitments that they have with the foreign suppliers were also mentioned in<br \/>\nthose correspondences. It is in the light of these submissions, they wanted<br \/>\ntheir writ petitions to be allowed and consequently, the impugned notifications<br \/>\nshould be set aside.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t11.\tIn the counter affidavit filed by the second respondent the said<br \/>\npolicy id sought to be supported on the basis that the low price of import of<br \/>\nbetel nuts was causing declining the domestic prices and consequential loss for<br \/>\nthe domestic betel nut growers.  This policy will prevent inferior quality of<br \/>\nthe betel nuts from being imported and also it will provide adequate<br \/>\nremunerative prices for the local growers.  By this protectionism, there will be<br \/>\na perfect competition in the home produce and imported betel nuts.  It will also<br \/>\ngenerate employment potentials and the notifications were issued setting forth<br \/>\nthe policy for the years 2004-2009 was in public interest and in exercise of<br \/>\npowers conferred under Section 5 of the F.T.D.R.Act,1992 read with para 2.1 of<br \/>\nthe F.T.P.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t12.\tIt is averred in para No:2.J of the counter affidavit, which is as<br \/>\nfollows:-\n<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;..Therefore, in order to protect the interests of the domestic growers of<br \/>\nbetel nut and to provide a level playing field to them and to ensure that the<br \/>\ndomestic prevailing price of betel nut does not fall down, the minimum floor<br \/>\nprice for import of betel nut has been fixed of Rs.35 per kgm and above vide<br \/>\nNotification No.15\/RE2008\/2004-2009, dated 04.06.2008.  Presently, the import<br \/>\nduty on betel nut is 100%. The floor price of betel nuts @ Rs.35 per Kg. coupled<br \/>\nwith 100% custom duty would result in the landed price of betel nut to  Rs.0.70<br \/>\nper kg, which is approximately at par with the rate prevailing during 2006-2007<br \/>\n(i.e.ranging from Rs.66 per kg. 75 per kg.) as reported by the Directorate of<br \/>\nArecanut and Species Development, Bangalore.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>\t13.\tIn the light of the above factual metrics Mr.B.Kumar, learned Senior<br \/>\nCounsel appearing for the petitioners made the following submissions:-\n<\/p>\n<p>(i)The second respondent DGFT has no power to issue<br \/>\n a policy in terms of Section 5 read with Section  6(3) of the FTDR, Act,1992.\n<\/p>\n<p>(ii)To test the validity of the impugned notifications the relative bearing of<br \/>\nthree enactments are to be looked into. They are Customs Act,1962, Customs<br \/>\nTariff Act,1975 and FTDR Act,1992. Each enactment places an assigned role and<br \/>\nthey must be read harmoniously and one cannot claim overriding effect over the<br \/>\nprovisions of other Acts.\n<\/p>\n<p>(iii)That in so far as the present policy is not based on any anti-dumping<br \/>\npolicy, the policy is arbitrary.\n<\/p>\n<p>(iv)After introducing a free policy the second respondent cannot create an<br \/>\nartificial price fixing insofar as the local production satisfies only 10% of<br \/>\nthe requirement of the manufacturers.  There is no necessity to introduce such<br \/>\nartificial price fixing and label it as support price or floor pricing or Saving<br \/>\nthe local producers.\n<\/p>\n<p>(v)When admittedly the price available in the countries of import does not<br \/>\nexceed Rs,15\/- to Rs.20\/- per kg, there is no question of fixing the price at<br \/>\nRs.35\/- per kg (CIF).\n<\/p>\n<p>(vi)The importers of betel nuts such as the petitioners have not been informed<br \/>\nas to what should be done with the money which will be found in the excess of<br \/>\nthe cost of import. This will only lead to fictitious billing, which is not the<br \/>\nintention of a free import policy and it is not the power of Government to fix<br \/>\nany price under FTDR, Act.\n<\/p>\n<p>(vii)Fixing the value of goods can be done only under the Customs Act and<br \/>\nCustoms Tariff Act.  Those Acts also provide for an appointment of Directorate<br \/>\nGeneral of Safeguards. The Customs Tariff Act, 1975, provides for differential<br \/>\ntariff including imposition of increased import duties under Section 8A<br \/>\nimposition of Safe Guards Duty under Section 8B and anti-dumping duties under<br \/>\nSection 9A the Customs Tariff Act.  It also provides for an appeal under Section<br \/>\n9C.\n<\/p>\n<p>(viii)The customs Act also provides for appointment of Customs Officers to<br \/>\ndecide the value of the import. Therefore, where there are ample provisions<br \/>\nunder the special enactments, it is not open to the second respondent to issue a<br \/>\nnotification FTDR, Act, 1992 to bring an artificial price fixing for the<br \/>\nimported betel nuts.\n<\/p>\n<p>(ix)The learned Senior Counsel submitted that Section 6(3) only delegates<br \/>\ncertain powers on the DGFT and the present notification though claimed to have<br \/>\nissued under Section 5, such a delegation is not available to the second<br \/>\nrespondent in terms of Section 6(3) of the FTDR Act.  The power to frame a<br \/>\npolicy solely vests with the Central Government under Section 3 of the Act.<br \/>\nThough in the notification impugned, it refers to the Central Government<br \/>\namending Schedule I of Imports for the years 2004-2009, it is not a notification<br \/>\nissued by the Central Government. It only signed by the DGFT, who is also the ex<br \/>\nofficio Additional Secretary to Government.\n<\/p>\n<p>(x)In the counter affidavit filed by the second respondent, there is no<br \/>\nreference to the Central Government issuing the said policy and there is no<br \/>\ndetails regarding the Central Government&#8217;s decision mentioned therein.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t14.\tEven though a specific contention was raised in this regard, the<br \/>\nCentral Government has not taken any policy decisions in terms Section 3 read<br \/>\nwith Section 5 of the FTDR Act and there being no delegation permissible for<br \/>\nevolving such of policy in the light of Section 6(3) conferred on the second<br \/>\nrespondent, the impugned order to be set aside on this short ground alone.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t15.\tIn any event, when there is sufficient safeguard is provided under<br \/>\nthe special laws such as Customs Act as well as the Customs Tariff Act, it is<br \/>\nnot open to the respondents to invoke FTDR Act for making an artificial price<br \/>\nfixation.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t16.\tThe learned Senior counsel for the petitioners relied upon the<br \/>\njudgment of the Supreme Court in <a href=\"\/doc\/677551\/\">Allahabad Bank V. Canara Bank<\/a> reported in AIR<br \/>\n2000 Supreme Court 1535 for the purpose of showing that at times a general law<br \/>\ncan be a specific law vis-a-vis a special law and it depends on the context.  He<br \/>\nrelied upon the following passage found in para:39, which is usefully extracted<br \/>\nbelow:-\n<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;39.There can be a situation in law where the same statute is treated as a<br \/>\nspecial statute vis-a-vis one legislation and again as a general statute vis-a-<br \/>\nvis another legislation.  Such situations do arise as held in Life Insurance<br \/>\nCorporation of India V D.J.Bahadur, AIR 1980 Supreme Court 2181: (1980 Lab IC<br \/>\n1218. It was there observed.\n<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;for certain cases, an Act may be general and for certain other purposes, it may<br \/>\nbe special and the Court cannot blur a distinction when dealing with finer<br \/>\npoints of law.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>\t17.\tIn the light of the above, it was further submitted that the FTDR<br \/>\nAct cannot be a special law with reference to a price fixation of an imported<br \/>\ncommodity and the power is available only under the provisions of other two<br \/>\nenactments, i.e.the Customs Act and the Customs Tariff Act.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t18.\tHe further submitted that even assuming that any policy guideline is<br \/>\nissued, such a guideline can be scrutinzed by this Court and it is not beyond<br \/>\nthe pale of judicial review conferred under Article 226 of the Constitution.<br \/>\nThe learned Senior Counsel referred to the decision of Supreme Court reported in<br \/>\nUnion of India and Others and Dinesh Engineering Corporation and another, (2001)<br \/>\n8 SCC 491.  The learned counsel placed reliance upon the following passage found<br \/>\nin para 12 of the said order:-\n<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;12&#8230;There is no doubt that this Court has held in more than one case that<br \/>\nwhere the decision of the authority is in regard to a policy matter, this Court<br \/>\nwill not ordinarily interfere since these policy matters are taken based on<br \/>\nexpert knowledge of the persons concerned and courts are normally not equipped<br \/>\nto question the correctness of a policy decision.  But then this does not mean<br \/>\nthat the courts have to abdicate their right to scrutinize whether the policy in<br \/>\nquestion is formulated keeping in mind all the relevant facts and the said<br \/>\npolicy can be held to be beyond the pale of discrimination or unreasonableness,<br \/>\nbearing in mind the material on record.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t19.\tThe learned Senior Counsel further submitted that when in the<br \/>\ncounter affidavit it was admitted that the prevailing price of the betel nuts in<br \/>\nthe countries of origin was only Rs.13\/- to Rs.15\/- there is no question of<br \/>\nfixing the imported betel nuts @ Rs.35\/- in an artificial manner.  Protecting<br \/>\nthe local growers can be done only by either increasing the import duty or<br \/>\ntotally prohibiting the import.  Further, for making the contention that the<br \/>\nsub-standard goods will be brought in, there is no material produced by the<br \/>\nrespondents in support of that contentions.  Even otherwise, if the goods are<br \/>\nsubstandard, no manufacturers will buy such goods.  Therefore, the attempt of<br \/>\nthe Central Government is to lead support to certain monopolists, who were also<br \/>\ninvolved in using the betel nuts as raw metals in their production.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t20.\tPer contra, the learned Assistant Solicitor General relied upon the<br \/>\ncontentions raised in the counter affidavit and also relied upon certain<br \/>\ndecisions of the Supreme Court in support of his arguments.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t21.\tHe referred to case of Dhargham Oils Pvt Ltd &amp; another Vs. Union of<br \/>\nIndia reported in 1995 (1) SCC 345 for a proposition that the Government can<br \/>\namend the policy of import even though there may be concluded  contract with a<br \/>\nforeign supplier.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t22.\tHe also cited the judgment in S.B.International Ltd Vs Assistant<br \/>\nDirector of Foreign Trade reported in 1996 (2) SCC 439 that the principles of<br \/>\npromissory estoppel are not applicable in deciding the validity of a Foreign<br \/>\nTrade Policy.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t23.\tHe further placed reliance upon the judgment of the Supreme Court in<br \/>\nP.T.R.Export (Madras) Pvt.Ltd Vs Union of India and others and relied upon the<br \/>\nfollowing passages found in paras:4 and 5:-\n<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;4.an applicant has no vested right to have export or import licences in terms<br \/>\nof the policies in force at the date of his making application.  For obvious<br \/>\nreasons, granting of licences depends upon the policy prevailing on the date of<br \/>\nthe grant of the licence or permit.  The authority concerned may be in a better<br \/>\nposition to have the overall picture of diverse factors to grant permit or<br \/>\nrefuse to grant permission to import or export goods.  The decision, therefore,<br \/>\nwould be taken from diverse economic perspectives which the executive is in a<br \/>\nbetter informed position unless, as we have stated earlier, the refusal is mala<br \/>\nfide or is an abuse of the power in which event it is for the applicant to plead<br \/>\nand prove to the satisfaction of the court that the refusal was vitiated by the<br \/>\nabove factors.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t5&#8230;.. When the Government is satisfied that change in the policy was<br \/>\nnecessary in the public interest, it would be entitled to revise the policy and<br \/>\nlay down new policy.  The Court, therefore, would prefer to allow free play to<br \/>\nthe Government to evolve fiscal policy in the public interest and to act upon<br \/>\nthe same.  Equally, the Government is left free to determine priorities in the<br \/>\nmatters of allocations or allotment or utilisation of its finances in the public<br \/>\ninterest.  It is equally, entitled, therefore, to issue or withdraw or modify<br \/>\nthe export or import policy in accordance with the scheme evolved.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>\t24.\tHe further submitted that the Foreign Trade Policy expressed in the<br \/>\nimpugned notification is not susceptible for a judicial review and referred to<br \/>\nthe judgment of the Supreme Court in State of N.C.T of Delhi and another Vs.<br \/>\nSanjeev alias Bittoo reported in 2005 Supreme Court 2080. He placed reliance<br \/>\nupon the following passages found in paras:15 and 16:-\n<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;15&#8230;.In the purported exercise of its discretion, it must not do what it has<br \/>\nbeen forbidden to do, nor must it do what it has not been authorised to do.  It<br \/>\nmust act in good faith, must have regard to all relevant considerations and must<br \/>\nnot be influenced by irrelevant considerations, must not seek to promote<br \/>\npurposes alien to the letter or to the spirit of the legislation that gives it<br \/>\npower to act, and must not act arbitrarily or capriciously.  These several<br \/>\nprinciples can conveniently be grouped in two main categories: (i) failure to<br \/>\nexercise a discretion, and (ii) excess or abuse of discretionary power. The two<br \/>\nclasses are not, however, mutually exclusive.  Thus, discretion may be<br \/>\nimproperly fettered because irrelevant considerations have been taken into<br \/>\naccount, and where an authority hands over its discretion to another body it<br \/>\nacts ultra vires.\n<\/p>\n<p>16.The present trend of judicial opinion is to restrict the doctrine of immunity<br \/>\nfrom judicial review to those classes of cases which relate to de-ployment of<br \/>\ntroupes, entering into international treaties, etc.  The distinctive features of<br \/>\nsome of these recent cases signify the willingness of the Courts to assert their<br \/>\npower to scrutinize the factual basis upon which discretionary powers have been<br \/>\nexercised.  One can conveniently classify under three heads the grounds on which<br \/>\nadministrative action is subject to control by judicial review.  The first<br \/>\nground is &#8216;illegality&#8217; the second &#8216;irrationality&#8217; and the third &#8216;procedural<br \/>\nimpropriety&#8217;.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>\t25.\tIt is not clear as to how the citations referred to by the Assistant<br \/>\nSolicitor General will help the case of the respondents.  The notifications<br \/>\nimpugned in these writ petitions are without jurisdiction and made without any<br \/>\napplication of mind and they are liable to be set aside by this Court.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t26.\tThis Court has already found that the second respondent has no power<br \/>\nto issue the notification under Section 5 read with 6(3) of the FTDR Act.<br \/>\nFurther, that the price fixing on an artificial basis cannot be done and that<br \/>\ntoo under the FTDR Act. It has to be done in the light of the enactments such as<br \/>\nthe Customs Act and the Customs Tariff Act.  No material data have been<br \/>\nfurnished for arriving at the figure of Rs.35\/- per kilo (CIF) for the betel<br \/>\nnuts imported.  When the market for betel nuts requires 90% import and the free<br \/>\nimport policy has been evolved for such an import, the present notification goes<br \/>\ncontrary to such policy.  It also makes the importers to commit further<br \/>\nillegalities of retention of amounts in Foreign Countries.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t27.\tThe other argument that sub-standard material are imported is not<br \/>\nsupported by any records.  Further any sub-standard materials will be rejected<br \/>\nby the Customs Department and even by the manufacturers who placed orders with<br \/>\nthe importers.\n<\/p>\n<p>\t28.\tIn the light of the above, all these writ petitions will stand<br \/>\nallowed.  However, there will be no order as to costs.  All the connected M.P.s<br \/>\nare closed.\n<\/p>\n<p>ssm<\/p>\n<p>To<\/p>\n<p>1.The Secretary,<br \/>\n  Union of India,<br \/>\n  Ministry of Commerce and Industry,<br \/>\n  Department of Commerce,<br \/>\n  Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi-110 001.\n<\/p>\n<p>2.The Director General of Foreign Trade<br \/>\n    and Ex-Officio Additional Secretary,<br \/>\n  to Government of Commerce,<br \/>\n  Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi-110 001.\n<\/p>\n<p>3.The Commissioner of Customs,<br \/>\n  Custom House, New Harbour Estate,<br \/>\n  Tuticorin-628 004.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Madras High Court M\/S.S.Mira Commodities Pvt. vs Union Of India on 8 September, 2008 BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT DATED: 08\/09\/2008 CORAM THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE K.CHANDRU W.P.(MD)No.5701 of 2008 W.P.(MD)Nos.5284,6108,6119,6188,6189, 6324,6388, 6389 6438, 6455, of 2008 and M.P.(MD)Nos.1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 and 1 of 2008 in W.P(MD).Nos.5284 , 5701, 6108 , 6188, 6189, 6324, 6388, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-188529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-high-court","category-madras-high-court"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>M\/S.S.Mira Commodities Pvt. vs Union Of India on 8 September, 2008 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; 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