TELEPHONE SUBSCRIBERS ASSOCIATION Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Both these petitions are filed by the petitioners -Telephone Subscribers' Association and others, for various reliefs prayed in respective petitions.

(2.) The case of the petitioners is that petitioner No. 1 is a registered Association whose object is to safeguard and protect interests of the members of its Association in respect of telephone services. Other petitioners are members of petitioner No. 1 Association and subscribers of telephones. By the present petitions, they challenge the action of the respondent-authorities which is "highhanded, arbitrary, illegal, illogical and discriminatory".

(3.) It is the case of the petitioners that members of petitioner No. 1- Association are subscribers of telephones. It is alleged that mischief was played by officers and/or employees of telephone department and even though members of petitioner No. 1-Association had not made international calls, officers/ employees of the department, in collusion with some persons, made certain telephone calls to foreign countries by misusing their power and authority and debited the amount in the accounts of the petitioners and the petitioners were called upon to pay bills of such telephone calls. Since members of petitioner No. 1-Association had not made international telephone calls, they made a grievance to the authorities particularly to respondent Nos. 2 to 4, who are senior officers of the department. They, however, failed to discharge their duty and did not take any action in accordance with law nor safeguarded interests of telephone subscribers and in these circumstances, they are constrained to approach this Court.