JAY ASHAPURA AND COMPANY Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) RULE. The learned Advocates appearing for the respective respondents are directed to waive service. Considering the urgency, the petition is taken up for final hearing today.

(2.) THIS petition under Article 226 of the Constitution has been preferred by as many as 30 different persons, each one of them stated to be holding licence as a trader from Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Bhavnagar. The petitioners have challenged the order dated 8. 2. 2008, whereunder, the names of the petitioners came to be deleted from the final list of the voters.

(3.) THE principal grievance ventilated on behalf of the petitioners is that the names of the petitioners appeared in the preliminary list of voters published under Rule 8 (1) of the Gujarat Agricultural Produce Markets Rules, 1965 (the Rules ). Objections against the names of the petitioners being included in the preliminary list of the voters were raised by one Dasharathsinh Gohil, but the said objections were turned down by the Authorised Officer. Subsequently, revised draft list of voters came to be published by the Authorised Officer wherein once again the names of the petitioners appeared. Thereafter, the case of the petitioners is, that respondent no. 5, authorised officer has deleted the names of the petitioners without hearing the petitioners.