Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 16: High Court today directed the Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department not to pressurize the fair-price shop owners for depositing the renewal fee for running their shops till next date of hearing of the case.
Hearing a writ petition filed by 24 fair price shop dealers challenging the order of Assistant Director FCS&CA Bandipora directing the Tehsil Supply Officer Bandipora to instruct all the fair-price shop dealers to deposit their renewal fee before the concerned within three days.
Among the 24 dealers 11 dealers withdrew their petition as they have not placed the license before the court and with regard to 13 petitioner-dealers court granted an interim order by directing the authorities not to impress upon them to deposit the renewal fee till next date.
“Notice be issued to the respondents. In the meanwhile, the respondents shall not stress upon the recovery of renewal fee from the petitioners till next date of hearing”, Justice Rajnesh Oswal directed.
Petitioner-dealers submitted before the Court that they were issued the licenses for running fair-price shops prior to the issuance of Government order dated August 4, 2016 and the said order does not apply to their case.
They informed the Court that the order of 2016 is applicable to those fair-price shops which were opened in pursuance to the said order and the shops of petitioners were not opened pursuant to the said order as such the same is not applicable to them.
With regard to 11 dealers who withdrew their petition due to non-furnishing of relevant documents in support of their case, they were granted liberty to approach the court when cause of action to them survives.
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