HARENDRA BASUMATARY Vs. PRINCIPAL SECRETARY BODOLAND TERRITORIAL COUNCIL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The instant writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India is preferred to assail an order of settlement dtd. 2/8/2023 whereby the respondent Bodoland Territorial Council [BTC] authorities have allowed the respondent no. 4 go ahead for collection of tolls, etc. from a market named Puthimari Weekly Market w.e.f. 1/7/2023 till issue of regular settlement order.

(2.) I have heard Mr. D. Sarmah, learned counsel for the petitioner; Mr. S.R. Rabha, learned Standing Counsel, BTC for the respondent nos. 1 - 3; and Mr. S. Hazarika, learned counsel for the respondent no. 4.

(3.) The factual matrix lies in a narrow compass. By publishing a Tender Notice dtd. 27/6/2023, the Block Development Officer, Kalaigaon, Udalguri ["the respondent no. 3] invited bids for settlement of 10 [ten] nos. of markets including the market named Puthimari Weekly Market, for the year : 2023-2024, that is, from 1/7/2023 to 30/6/2024. In response to the Tender Notice, 6 [six] nos. of bidders including the petitioner and the respondent no. 4, submitted their bids for Puthimari Weekly Market ["the Market' for short]. After opening and scrutiny of the bids, a Comparative Statement was prepared by the Settlement Committee constituted for the purpose, recording remarks about the responsiveness or otherwise of the bids vis-a-vis the documents required to be submitted along with the bid as per the Tender Notice.