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Issues Involved:
1. Jurisdiction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court to entertain the writ petition. 2. Merits of the writ petition concerning the dismissal from service. Issue-wise Detailed Analysis: 1. Jurisdiction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court: - Core Argument: The appellant argued that since part of the cause of action arose in Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, the High Court had jurisdiction. The respondent countered that no factual foundation supported this claim, and thus, the High Court lacked jurisdiction. - Legal Precedents: The appellant relied on Dinesh Chandra Gahtori v. Chief of Army Staff (2001) and attempted to distinguish Kusum Ingots and Alloys Ltd. v. Union of India (2004). The respondent cited National Highways Authority of India v. Ganga Enterprises (2003) and other cases to argue against jurisdiction. - Article 226 of the Constitution: Clause (2) of Article 226 allows High Courts to issue writs if the cause of action arises wholly or in part within its jurisdiction. The judgment referenced several cases, including Damomal Raisinghani v. Union of India (1967), Veeri Chettiar v. S.T. Officer, Bombay (1971), and State of Rajasthan v. M/s. Swaika Properties (1985), to interpret this clause. - Court's Conclusion: The High Court concluded that the appellant failed to establish a factual foundation for the cause of action arising in Andhra Pradesh. The entire proceedings occurred in Madhya Pradesh, and mere communication of the order to the appellant in Andhra Pradesh did not confer jurisdiction. The Court followed the later three-Judge Bench decision in Kusum Ingots and Alloys Ltd. v. Union of India (2004), which discussed the issue in detail and was binding under Article 141 of the Constitution. 2. Merits of the Writ Petition: - Background: The appellant, a resident of Kurnool District, was dismissed from service by the CRPF in Madhya Pradesh following a departmental inquiry for misconduct. The appellant challenged the dismissal order, claiming it was arbitrary, discriminatory, and violated natural justice. - Court's Approach: The High Court emphasized that the primary issue was the maintainability of the writ petition due to jurisdiction. Since the petition was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, the Court did not delve into the merits of the case. - Specific Stand in Counter Affidavit: The respondents explicitly stated in their counter affidavit that the jurisdiction lay with the Madhya Pradesh High Court, and no part of the cause of action arose in Andhra Pradesh. The appellant did not effectively counter this assertion. - Judicial Discipline: The judgment stressed the importance of judicial discipline and the need to follow binding precedents, particularly when there are conflicting judgments from coordinate Benches of the Supreme Court. Conclusion: The Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed the writ appeal on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction, affirming that the writ petition should have been filed in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The Court did not address the merits of the case, as the primary issue was the maintainability of the writ petition. The judgment was guided by the principle that the cause of action must have a factual foundation within the jurisdiction of the Court, which was not established by the appellant.
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