(1.) THE petitioner is a Self Help Group, represented by its President. In this writ petition, the petitioner has challenged the order of the District Collector dated 18/1/2012 and after setting aside the same, seeks for a direction to restore the supply of provisions to the petitioner in running a Fair Price Shop at Genguvarpatti Village, Periyakulam Taluk, Theni District.
(2.) WHEN the writ petition came up for hearing on 15/2/2012, this Court on finding a prima facie case and also the balance of convenience, granted interim stay.
(3.) THE contention raised by the petitioner was that the Self Help Group comprised of 20 women members and it is doing several services for the welfare of the women in the Village. One such project is running a Fair Price Shop which duty was previously performed by Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies. The proposal sent on behalf of the second and third respondents for giving the Fair Price Shop to the petitioner group was made on 8/2/2007 and the commodities for the shop was obtained from Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation in Periyakulam Depot. There are 470 ration card holders in the said Genguvarpatti Village and the shop is functioning to the utmost satisfaction of the higher officials. Since the members of the self Help Group are all women, for the purpose of loading and unloading activities, they have engaged one Raja. But however, by the impugned order dated 18/1/2012, the permission granted to the shop was set aside without following any due process and the petitioner Society was not given any opportunity of hearing.