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PETITIONER: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS LTD.

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: THE STATE OF MADRAS

DATE OF JUDGMENT19/02/1981

BENCH: KOSHAL, A.D. BENCH: KOSHAL, A.D. MISRA, R.B. (J)

CITATION:  1981 AIR  968            1981 SCR  (2) 948  1981 SCC  (2) 479        1981 SCALE  (1)390

ACT:      Constitution of India-Article 133(1)(a) and (c) (before amendment)-Certificate issued,  not in  conformity with law- Supreme  Court,  if  could  revoke  the  certificate-Special leave, if could be granted after revoking the certificate.

HEADNOTE:      1. If  the certificate  granted by the Court under sub- clauses (a)  and (c)  of clause  (1) of  Article 133  of the Constitution, as  it then  stood, did  not conform  to legal requirements  in   as  much   as  it  did  not  specify  the substantial question  of law which, according to High Court, required determination and no reasons in respect of issuance of the  certificate appeared  therein, the certificate could be revoked. [948 H]      Sohan Lal  Naraindas v. Laxmidas Raghunath Gadit [1971] 1 S.C.C.  276;  Sardar  Bahadur  S.  Indra  Singh  Trust  v. Commissioner of  Income Tax,  Bengal  [1972]  1  S.C.R.  392 followed.      2. In  such a  situation if it could be made out that a substantial question  of law  really required determination, this Court  could treat  the appeal  as one by special leave after condoning  the delay.  In the  instant  case  no  such question is  involved at  all and,  therefore, special leave cannot be granted. [949 B-C]

JUDGMENT:      CIVIL APPELLATE  JURISDICTION: Civil  Appeal No. 322 of 1970.      From the  Judgment and  Decree dated  25-3-1969 of  the Madras High Court in Appeal No. 1195 of 1970.      U.R. Lalit, P.H. Parekh and Miss Manik Tarkunde for the Appellant.      The Judgment of the Court was delivered by      KOSHAL J.  A preliminary  objection has  been raised by Mr. Rangam to the effect that the certificate granted by the court under sub-clauses (a) and (c) of clause (1) of Article 133 of the Constitution of India, as it then stood, does not conform to legal requirements in as much as-           (a)  it does  not specify the substantial question

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              of law  which the  High Court  states require                determination; and           (b)   no reasons in support of the issuance of the                certificate appear therein. 949      The preliminary  objection is  well founded  in view of the decisions  of this  Court  in  Sohan  Lal  Naraindas  v. Laxmidas Raghunath  Gadit and  in Sardar  Bahadur  S.  Indra Singh Trust v. Commissioner of Income Tax, Bengal.      Faced with  this situation Mr. Lalit wanted us to treat the appeal  as one  by special  leave and  prayed that  such leave be  granted now  after condoning the delay. That would have been  certainly a reasonable course to follow if it was made out  that a substantial question of law really requires determination. We  have gone  through the  impugned judgment and find  that no  such question  is involved  at  all.  We, therefore, refuse  special  leave,  revoke  the  certificate granted by the High Court and dismiss the appeal but with no order as to costs. P.B.R.                                     Appeal dismissed. 950