Natural justice and effective service barred penalty and debarment where the show-cause notice was never properly received.

A penalty order and five-year debarment could not stand where the show-cause notice was not actually received, the postal article was returned undelivered, and no further attempt at service was made. The court held that, without effective service, the petitioner and its partners were denied an opportunity to respond, constituting a breach of natural justice. The order imposing penalties and debarment was quashed and set aside, and the proceedings were directed to restart after service on the petitioner's advocate.

---

---

Issues: Whether the penalty order and five-year debarment could be sustained when the show-cause notice was not actually received by the petitioner and no second attempt at service was made.

Analysis: The notice was returned undelivered with the postal remark "Not known", and the order itself proceeded on the footing that service had failed. In the absence of effective service and any further attempt to serve the notice, the petitioner and its partners were denied an opportunity to respond, amounting to a breach of natural justice.

Conclusion: The order imposing penalties and debarment upon the petitioner and its partners was quashed and set aside, and the proceedings were directed to commence afresh after service on the petitioner's advocate.

---