Natural justice requires clear notice and meaningful hearing before cancellation of registration and appellate rejection.

A cancellation of registration was set aside because the show cause notice did not clearly specify the authority before which the petitioner had to appear, resulting in denial of a meaningful opportunity to be heard. The subsequent rejection of the statutory appeal as time-barred did not cure the procedural defect. The court directed issuance of a fresh notice, grant of personal hearing, and a fresh decision by the competent authority.

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Issues: Whether the orders cancelling registration and dismissing the statutory appeal were liable to be quashed and the petitioner granted a fresh opportunity of hearing in view of the show cause notice and denial of effective opportunity.

Analysis: The show cause notice did not clearly indicate the authority before whom the petitioner was required to appear, and the petitioner was consequently unable to participate before cancellation of registration. The appeal was thereafter rejected as time-barred. In these circumstances, the absence of a clear notice and the resulting denial of a meaningful opportunity to be heard required corrective intervention to secure fair procedure.

Conclusion: The impugned cancellation order and the appellate order were set aside, and the petitioner was to be afforded a fresh notice, personal hearing, and a fresh decision by the competent authority.

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