1989 (11) TMI 57 - SC - Central Excise

Supreme Court orders reimbursement of copying costs for essential legal documents

The Supreme Court ruled that the department should reimburse the petitioners for reasonable expenses incurred in copying essential documents in a legal ... Adjudication - Natural justice Issues involved: Determination of expenses for copying documents in a legal proceeding.Summary:1. The petitioners requested copies of documents from the Collector of Central Excise, who suggested that the petitioners inspect the documents and make copies of what they need due to the extensive nature of the documents. The question arose regarding who should bear the expenses for making copies. 2. The Supreme Court proposed a practical solution by requiring the Collector to meet with the petitioners and their counsel to identify essential documents for copying. The Collector should also sift through the seized documents to identify necessary ones for the department, reducing non-essential documents for copying.3. The Court ruled that the department should reimburse the petitioners for reasonable expenses incurred in copying essential documents, citing Departmental Instructions that require the department to provide copies at its own cost.4. Documents not needed by the department should be returned to the petitioners within four weeks.5. The Special Leave Petition was disposed of with these directions and observations.