Show cause notice proceedings require reply, prior orders review, and a fair hearing before draft adjudication is framed.

The Gujarat High Court directed the petitioner to file a reply to the pending show cause notice within the stipulated time, and required the authority to consider that reply in accordance with law before proceeding further. It also directed the authority to take into account the relevant prior orders and, after granting a reasonable opportunity of hearing, to frame a draft adjudication order. No final determination on the merits of the dispute was made, and the matter remained at the stage of notice and proposed adjudication.

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Issues: Whether the petitioner should be directed to file a reply to the pending show cause notice and whether the authority should proceed to adjudication after considering the relevant prior orders and after granting an opportunity of hearing.

Outcome: The petitioner was directed to file a reply within the stipulated time, and the authority was directed to consider it in accordance with law and thereafter proceed to frame a draft adjudication order after giving a reasonable opportunity of hearing. No final adjudication on the merits of the dispute was made.

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