AGARTALA, India, Feb. 16 -- Tripura High Court issued the following order/judgement on Jan. 15:
[1] The present petition has been filed under Article-226 of the Constitution of India directing the respondents to cancel the dealership of the petitioner and to allow continuation and resumption of operation of the retail outlet of the petitioner at Sabroom, South Tripura, in the interest of justice, consumers and equity, in pursuance to the letters dated 13.10.2025 & 28.10.2025 issued by the Addl. D.M. & Collector, South Tripura & SDM, Sabroom, South Tripura. Further, to cancel the show cause notice for termination of dealership agreement between the petitioner and the respondents vide Ref. No.SCN/SDO/Term/184486 dated 07.11.2025.
[2] The petitioner has prayed for the following reliefs:
"Issue a writ in the nature of mandamus directing the respondents and each of them not to cancel the dealership of the petitioner and to allow continuation and resumption of operation of the retail outlet of the petitioner at Sabroom, South Tripura, in the interest of justice, consumers, and equity, in pursuance to letter dated 13.10.2025 & 28.10.2025 issued by the Addl. D. M. & Collector South Tripura & SDM, Sabroom, South Tripura.
AND
Issue writ in the nature of certiorari to cancel the show cause notice for termination of dealership agreement between the petitioner and respondents vide Ref: No.SCN/SDO/Term/184486 dated 7.11.2025, Annexure-C. In the meantime, pending disposal of the writ petition, the petitioner prays for an interim direction allowing him to restart the retail outlet operations, in the interest of consumers."
[3] The facts in brief are that a long-standing and bona fide dealer of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), seeking judicial review of the arbitrary, illegal, and disproportionate action of the respondent authorities in cancelling the dealership of the petitioner's Retail Outlet situated at Sabroom, South Tripura, a remote and sensitive border area. The petitioner has been operating the said Retail Outlet since 2004 without any complaint relating to adulteration, short delivery, black-marketing, or consumer dissatisfaction. The outlet caters to the essential fuel requirements of the local population, government vehicles, ambulances, agricultural machinery, and other emergency services in a geographically isolated region near the international border. Due to unavoidable and exceptional circumstances, including the petitioner's bypass heart surgery in 2018 and the petitioner's younger son being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022, the petitioner faced severe physical, mental, and financial hardship. During this period, the petitioner temporarily entrusted management functions for continuity of fuel supply solely in the interest of consumers, without transferring or alienating the dealership in any manner. On the basis of certain alleged irregularities, IOCL issued a Show Cause Notice dated 07.11.2025 proposing termination of the dealership. The petitioner submitted a detailed reply supported by medical documents and binding judicial orders demonstrating that
(i) there was no transfer or sub-letting of the dealership;
(ii) no valid Power of Attorney or agreement subsists;
(iii) all alleged documents relied upon by IOCL had already been quashed by competent civil courts, affirmed up to the Hon'ble High Court of Tripura.
*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/ecourtindiaHC/cases/display_pdf.php?filename=I1mmm2bl4r4EREhYK63KvyJPmDT8RRrOQV1maEiWrascP1BXXQytTiRMfccR7qrl&caseno=WP(C)/18/2026&cCode=1&cino=TRHC010000262026&state_code=20&appFlag=)
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
