Opportunity to reply before adjudication must be granted; ex parte disposal of show cause notices was set aside and remitted.

Orders disposing of show cause notices solely for non-filing of a reply were liable to interference where the affected party had not been given a proper opportunity to respond. The Delhi High Court noted that denial of a chance to submit a reply before adjudication required reconsideration of the notices. The impugned orders were set aside, and the matter was remitted for fresh adjudication after granting two weeks to file a reply and affording an opportunity of personal hearing.

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Issues: Whether the orders disposing of the show cause notices were liable to be set aside for want of an opportunity to file a reply, and whether the matter should be remitted for fresh adjudication.

Analysis: The impugned orders were passed solely because no reply had been filed to the show cause notices. The petitioner was seeking an opportunity to respond before adjudication. In these circumstances, the denial of an opportunity to submit a reply warranted interference, and the show cause notices required reconsideration after affording a proper hearing.

Conclusion: The orders were set aside and the matter was remitted to the proper officer for re-adjudication after granting the petitioner two weeks to file a reply and an opportunity of personal hearing.

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