Natural justice in ex parte adjudication requires notice of the next date and a personal hearing before a reasoned order.

An ex parte adjudication order passed without notice of the next hearing date and without affording a personal hearing was held unsustainable. The High Court noted that the matter was not decided on the notified date and that no communication of the subsequent date was given to the affected party. It held that fairness required either disposal on the fixed date or prior intimation of any adjourned date to enable appearance, and that failure to do so offended natural justice. The ex parte order was quashed, and the authority was directed to provide a personal hearing and then pass a reasoned order in accordance with law.

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Issues: Whether an ex parte adjudication order passed without notice of the next hearing date and without affording personal hearing could be sustained.

Analysis: The order was passed ex parte. The record indicated that the matter was not decided on the date fixed for hearing and that no notice of the subsequent date was given to the petitioner. In such circumstances, fairness required that either the order be passed on the notified date or the next date be communicated to enable appearance. The failure to do so offended the principles of natural justice.

Conclusion: The ex parte order could not be sustained and was quashed. The authority was directed to grant a personal hearing and thereafter pass a reasoned order in accordance with law.

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