P KRISHNAMOORTHI GUPTA Vs. GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The Writ Petition and Writ Appeal raise common questions and they can be , therefore , disposed of by a common judgment .

(2.) We will give the facts of the writ petition in order to make out the point which arises for our considerations. The petitioners are wholesale dealers in foodgrains in Chittoor District . Some of them make purchases of rice within the District while others make purchases from surplus districts of Andhra Pradesh and move the purchased rice to Chittoor District for the purposes of trade there in.

(3.) Under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act , the Central Government , by order can provide for regulating or prohibiting production, supply and distribution of certain commodities and trade and commerce therein. The power which the Central Government has , can be delegated in part of the State Government. In exercise of that power certain powers are delegated to the State Government of Andhra Pradesh .