Limited writ interference at show-cause stage rejected where notices were issued by an authorised officer.

Writ interference at the show-cause stage is justified only on limited grounds, such as a clear lack of jurisdiction on the face of the record. Where the notices are issued by an authorised officer and the matter remains at the adjudication stage, the court will ordinarily decline to interdict the proceedings. On that basis, the challenge to the notices failed, and the petitioners were directed to cooperate with the adjudicating authority and proceed with the adjudication within the stipulated time.

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Issues: Whether the Court should interfere with the show cause notices on the ground that they were without jurisdiction and whether the writ petition was maintainable at the show cause stage.

Analysis: The notices had been issued by an authorised officer and the matter was still at the stage of adjudication. Interference in writ jurisdiction at the show cause stage is warranted only on very limited grounds. Since the notices could not be said to be without jurisdiction on the face of the record, the Court declined to interdict the proceedings. The Court also directed cooperation with the adjudicating authority and completion of the adjudication within the stipulated time.

Conclusion: The challenge to the notices failed and the Court declined to interfere; the petitioners were relegated to participate in the adjudication.

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