Ashok vs. The Union Of INDIA

Held

The Court granted the petitioner's request to withdraw the writ petition. The Court accorded permission for withdrawal and, by granting the liberty sought by the petitioner to pursue remedies in accordance with law, dismissed the writ petition as withdrawn. There were no orders as to costs. Any miscellaneous applications pending in the writ petition were also closed. The specific legal arguments regarding the CAT's inaction or the merits of the inquiry were not adjudicated upon as the petition was withdrawn.

Facts

The petitioner, Ashok, a retired Chief Commissioner of CGST, filed a writ petition before the Telangana High Court. The petition challenged the inaction of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Hyderabad Bench, in passing interim orders in OA No. 665 of 2024. This inaction allegedly prevented the interdiction of an inquiry initiated by an order dated 13.12.2023 (F. No C-14011/10/2022-Ad.VII/3551). The petitioner sought to declare the CAT's inaction as arbitrary, illegal, biased, and violative of natural justice, and consequently sought to interdict further inquiry proceedings. An interim application was also filed seeking a stay on further proceedings pending the disposal of the writ petition.

Key Issues

1. Whether the inaction of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Hyderabad Bench, in passing interim orders in OA No. 665 of 2024, thereby failing to interdict an inquiry, is arbitrary, illegal, biased, and violative of the principles of natural justice, as argued by the petitioner? 2. Whether further inquiry proceedings initiated by the order dated 13.12.2023 (F. No C-14011/10/2022-Ad.VII/3551) should be interdicted, as sought by the petitioner? The petitioner argued that the CAT's inaction was arbitrary, illegal, biased, and violated principles of natural justice, leading to the need to interdict the inquiry. The respondents' arguments were not recorded in the judgment.