B.GUPTA & CO Vs. STATE OF JHARKHAND

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The instant writ application has been preferred by the petitioner-firm assailing the order dtd. 8/5/2023 as contained in Memo No.252 issued by the Director, Jharkhand State Mid-day Meal Authority, Department of School Education and Literacy Development, Government of Jharkhand, Ranchi; whereby the concerned respondent has not only terminated the contract of the petitioner but has also blacklisted the petitioner-firm for a period of five years.

(2.) The brief facts of the case is that the petitioner happens to be a Chartered Accountant Firm registered with C and AG which was established in the year 1953 and claims to have carried out audits in various departments of the State Government, State and Central Government Organizations including Central Government Public Sector Undertakings and various Nationalized Banks.

(3.) Mr. Amit Kumar Das, learned counsel for the petitioner submits that their team was staying at a Dharmshala, namely, Agrasen Bhawan, and as there was no food facility in the said Dharamshala; during their stay on 2/2/2023, one of the audit team (team leader) gave Rs.2000.00 note to one of the employees of the petitioner- firm, namely, Ankesh Kumar, for bringing food who after purchasing the food, returned Rs.1500.00 to the said team leader. However, during that period, someone mischievously made a video recording and displayed a clip in social media including an online news channel, namely, "Express News Channel" alleging that the audit team had been negotiating and accepting money from the school teachers.