Mantri Ram Bhagat vs. State Of Chhattisgarh

Facts

The petitioner, Mantri Ram Bhagat, filed a writ petition before the High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur. The respondents were the State of Chhattisgarh through the Secretary, Department of Commercial Tax (Excise), the Excise Commissioner, and the District Excise Officer, Raigarh. The specific order or action under challenge and the tax period(s) are not detailed in the provided text. The procedural history indicates that the petitioner filed the writ petition, and subsequently, during the pendency of the proceedings, the petitioner's counsel submitted that the petition had become infructuous due to the efflux of time. This submission was not opposed by the respondents.

Held

The Court recorded the submission made by the learned counsel for the petitioner that the writ petition had become infructuous due to the efflux of time. Since this submission was not opposed by the respondents, the Court accepted it. Consequently, the Court dismissed the writ petition on the ground that it had become infructuous. The reasoning is based on the petitioner's assertion that the passage of time has made the relief sought unattainable or irrelevant. The ratio decidendi is that a writ petition, if rendered infructuous by circumstances arising during its pendency and not contested by the opposing party, should be dismissed on that basis. No specific operative directions were issued, other than the dismissal of the petition.

Key Issues

1. Whether the writ petition has become infructuous due to the efflux of time, as submitted by the petitioner? The petitioner argued that due to the passage of time, the relief sought in the writ petition could no longer be effectively granted, rendering the petition infructuous. The respondents did not oppose this submission, implying they agreed that the matter was no longer alive or capable of being adjudicated on its merits.