Deadline set for Department to obtain orders from Revisional Authority

The court granted the Department four weeks to obtain orders from the Revisional Authority regarding the Appellate Authority's decision. If no orders were obtained within this period, the Department was directed to comply with the Appellate Authority's order within ten days after the deadline. The court disposed of the writ petition without costs, allowing the Department to pursue the revisional remedy before enforcing the original order.

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Issues:
Petitioner seeks mandamus to implement order of Appellate Authority reducing redemption fine and not interfering with personal penalty. Department failed to implement the order citing pending revision. Legal question of Revisional Authority's jurisdiction raised based on Punjab and Haryana High Court decision.

Analysis:
The petitioner filed a writ petition seeking the issuance of a writ of mandamus to enforce the order passed by the Appellate Authority. The Appellate Authority allowed the petitioner's appeal against the Order-in-Original, reducing the redemption fine for re-export. However, the Department did not implement the order, leading to the current writ petition before the court. The Department claimed that a revision had been filed against the order before the Joint Commissioner, and as the revision was pending, they were unable to implement the Appellate Authority's order.

During the proceedings, it was noted that no interim order had been granted by the Revisional Authority against the Appellate Authority's order. The court highlighted a relevant decision from the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the competence of the Revisional Authority to entertain a revision against an order passed by an officer of the same rank. The court indicated that based on this decision, the Revisional Authority might not have jurisdiction to entertain the revision petition against the Appellate Authority's order.

Considering the circumstances and the time elapsed since the Appellate Authority's order, the court decided to grant the Department four weeks to obtain appropriate interim or final orders from the Revisional Authority. If the Department failed to secure any orders within this timeframe, they were directed to comply with the Order-in-Appeal within ten days after the expiry of the thirty-day period. The court disposed of the writ petition without imposing any costs, providing the Department with an opportunity to pursue the revisional remedy before enforcing the original order.

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