SATHYASEELAN AND OTHERS Vs. THE REGIONAL MANAGER,(LPG) BHARATH PETROLEUM CORPORATION LIMITED AND OTHERS

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Petitioners in the captioned writ petitions are transport contractors. The subject issue raised in the writ petitions, is in respect of the termination of the contract, subsequent invitation of tender and the prohibitory clause contained thereunder in respect of the contractors whose contracts were terminated. Therefore, I heard them together and propose to deliver a common judgment. For the disposal of the writ petitions, the facts available from W.P.(C) No.31315 of 2017 are relied upon.

(2.) Petitioners are Managing Partners of M/s. Sree Nilayam Transports and M/s. Sabari Transports engaged in the business of transportation of LPG cylinders from different LPG bottling plants of different Oil Companies, such as Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Company Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Company Limited (HPCL).

(3.) In the year 2016, BPCL invited tender for transportation of LPG cylinders from BPCL Kazhakoottam Bottling Plant and petitioners were successful bidders along with other transporters and commenced the work of transportation of the filled LPG cylinders from the Company and vacant cylinders back from different LPG Gas Agencies. The tender was for the period from 01.02.2016 to 31.01.2021. Agreement was executed between the petitioners and the respondents and Letter of Intent dated 04.11.2016 was signed by the petitioners, evident from Ext.P1. Similar letter of intent was issued to the 2nd petitioner also.