DIPANKAR DAS Vs. STATE OF ASSAM

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. S.B. Laskar, learned counsel for the petitioner in this series of three writ petitions. Also heard Mr. P.N. Goswami, learned Addl. Advocate General for the State, along with Mr. I. Kalita, standing counsel for the Forest Department, Mr. S.D. Purkayastha, learned counsel for the respondent no. 5 and Mr. B.K. Das, learned counsel for the respondent no. 6.

(2.) Case of the petitioner in W.P.(C) 6455/2021: During the pendency of W.P.(C) 6210/2021, the petitioner had come to know that his bid for Kalain Stone Minor Mineral Unit-I was not approved as per decision taken on 1/11/2021 in the office chamber of the Chief Conservator of Forests, Southern Assam Circle, Silchar, inter alia, on the ground that he had not uploaded digitally signed documents. The petitioner has alleged that the impugned minutes was prepared on extraneous considerations. In this writ petition, the successful bidders were arrayed as proforma respondent nos. 5 and 6. By order dtd. 6/12/2021, this Court had provided that the settlement of the Kalain Stone Minor Mineral Unit-I would be subject to outcome of the writ petition. However, notice of motion was issued by order dtd. 10/8/2022.

(3.) Case of the petitioner in W.P.(C) 6210/2021: The Divisional Forest Officer, Karimganj ("DFO, Karimganj" for short)had issued NIT for settlement of Kalain Stone Minor Mineral Unit-I. The petitioner had submitted his 1st Stage Bid (i.e. Technical Bid) on 5/9/2021 and was waiting to participate in the 2nd stage of bidding i.e. live auction, but the petitioner did not receive any information about the live bidding and therefore, he visited the office of the DFO, Karimganj on several occasions but he was not provided any information and he had learnt that the said authority was adopting a pick-and- choose method to settle the bid to others by depriving the petitioner. By order dtd. 23/11/2021, this Court had directed the respondent authorities to place the copy of evaluation of the technical bid dtd. 1/11/2021 before the Court.