Locus standi to appeal under enforcement law failed where no authorising notification empowered the Director to act.

An appeal challenging an adjudication order was held not maintainable because the Director of Enforcement had no locus standi in the absence of a Central Government notification authorising him to enforce the Act. The court accepted the preliminary objection that only a properly empowered authority could act as an aggrieved party for the purpose of filing the appeal. As the record contained no notification delegating the relevant statutory functions or appointing the Director as the competent authority, the challenge failed at the threshold and the appeal could not proceed.

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Issues: Whether the Director of Enforcement had locus standi to maintain the appeal in the absence of a notification by the Central Government authorising him to enforce the Act and whether the appeal was maintainable.

Analysis: The appeal turned on the preliminary objection that only a properly empowered authority could challenge the adjudication order. The record did not contain any notification issued by the Central Government appointing the Director of Enforcement as the competent authority or delegating specific functions to him under the Act. In the absence of such authorisation, the Director of Enforcement could not be treated as an aggrieved party for the purpose of maintaining the appeal. The challenge therefore failed at the threshold on maintainability.

Conclusion: The Director of Enforcement had no locus standi to file the appeal, and the appeal was not maintainable.

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