Reasonable opportunity to study relied-upon documents is essential; denial of time vitiated the adjudication order.

Where an adjudication charge is founded on relied-upon documents, the noticee must be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect and study those materials before the hearing. The department bears the responsibility to make the documents available in time, and refusal of an adjournment sought to examine the last set of documents deprived the noticee of that opportunity. The denial of a fair opportunity to respond violated natural justice and vitiated the adjudication order, which was set aside and remitted for fresh adjudication after replies were filed.

---

---

Issues: Whether the adjudication order was liable to be set aside for denial of reasonable time to study the relied-upon documents, thereby violating the principles of natural justice.

Analysis: The relied-upon documents were not made fully available to the noticee within a reasonable time before the hearing, and the request for adjournment to study the last set of documents was declined. The responsibility to supply or make available the documents forming the basis of the charge lay on the department, and the noticee was entitled to adequate time to examine them before adjudication.

Conclusion: The denial of a reasonable opportunity vitiated the adjudication order, which was therefore set aside and the matter was remitted for fresh adjudication after filing of replies.

Ratio Decidendi: Where the charge is founded on documents relied upon by the department, the noticee must be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect and study them before adjudication; failure to do so violates natural justice and vitiates the order.

---