KUNDUR RUDRAPPA Vs. MYSORE REVENUE APPELLATE TRIBUNAL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This appeal by special leave is directed against the judgment of the Mysore High Court (now High Court of Karnataka). of Feb 9, 1973, rejecting the appellant's writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution by which the orders of the State Transport Appellate Tribunal and the Mysore Revenue Appellate Tribunal had been challenged.

(2.) Briefly the facts are as follows: The appellant was granted a stage carriage permit under Section 48 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (briefly the Act) for the route Devanagere to Shimoga via Honnali by the Regional Transport Authority, Shimoga, by its order dated May 3/4, 1963. Some of the respondents preferred appeals against the said order to the State Transport Appellate Tribunal and obtained stay of the order. The appeals were, however, dismissed on September 27, 1963. Again, some of the respondents preferred further appeals to the Mysore Revenue Appellate Tribunal against the order of the State Transport Appellate Tribunal. This time also the appeals met with the same fate and were dismissed on 27-21967. It appears, however, that no order of stay was granted by the Mysore Revenue Appellate Tribunal.

(3.) On April 25, 1967, the Secretary to the Regional Transport Authority, Shimoga, called upon the appellant to produce the relevant documents and the certificate of registration for making necessary entry in the permit. The appellant produced the same on April 26, 1967, and the permit was issued on the same day. Again the order of the issue of the permit respondents 4 to 13 preferred appeals to the State Transport Appellate Tribunal on the ground that the Secretary to the Regional Transport Authority, Shimoga, had no jurisdiction to issue a permit under R. 119 of the Mysore Motor Vehicles Rules, 1963 (briefly the Rules) after a lapse of such a long time from the date of the grant of the permit. It was contended that the issue of the permit was made beyond the prescribed period of limitation under Rule 119. It may be mentioned that at the time of the grant of the permit the Mysore Motor Vehicles Rules, 1945 (old Rules) were in force and Rule 151 of the old Rules was replaced by Rule 119 with effect from July 1, 1963. It was contended by the appellant before the appellate authorities that there was no period of limitation under R. 151 of the old Rules, which was applicable to his case, for the issue of a permit. The appeals of the respondents were allowed by the State Transport Appellate Tribunal by majority on January 29, 1969. The District Judge Member, however, dissented. An appeal filed by the appellant to the Revenue Appellate Tribunal against the order of the State Transport Appellate Tribunal was dismissed which led to the unsuccessful writ application in the High Court and hence this appeal.