THE STATE OF BIHAR AND ORS.versusSUBHASH SINGH

A                      THE STATE OF BIHAR AND ORS.
                                            v.
                                  SUBHASH SINGH

                                 FEBRUARY 3, 1997

B                [K. RAMASWAMY AND G.T. NANAVATI, JJ.]

            Court-Order of-Non compliance with-Power to. impose costs                   •
     for-High Court while disposing a writ petition issued directions-Respondent
     non complied with it-High Court imposed personal cost 011 respondent-Ap-
e    peal against order of High Court-Held delay in compliance with court's order
     was one year and five months-Delay also not explained to court-Held 110
     interference was called for with the order of High Cowt-The Court before
     imposing costs personally against the officers should be circumspect and keep
     at the back of its mind the facts and circumstances in each case.
D          Judicial Reviev.--Judicial review of administrative action is an essential
     part of rule of law.                                                                   -..

         Constitutionalism-State-Duty to obey lav.--All actions of the State or
  its authorities and officials must be carried out subject to the Constitution
E and within the limits set by the law.

           Constitution of India, 1950: Articles 53, 74, 75, 154, 163 and 166:

        Bureaucracy-Accountability-of'-7ift?mitrnal principle that the per-
  manent bureaucracy is accountable to the political executive is subject to
F judicial review-The head of the Department/designated officer is ultimately
  responsible and accountable to the Court for result of the action done or
  decision taken-Factors absolving him of the responsibility should be brought
  to the notice of Court.

·G        CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Special Leave Petition (C)
     No. 3337 of 1997.

           From the Judgment and Order dated 19.7.96 of the Patna High Court
     in M.J.C. No. 1488 of 1995.

H           H.L. Agarwal and B.B. Singh for the Petitioners.
                                       850
                       STATEv. SUBHASHASINGH                             851
       The following Order of the Court was delivered :                        A

       Delay condoned.

      This special leave petition arises from the order dated July 19, 1996
 imposing costs personally against the respondent passed by the Patna High      B
 Court in M.J.C. No. 1488 of 1995.

         The Constitution of India is the supreme law of the land, having
  flown from "We, the people of India, i.e., Bharat, having solemnly resolved
  to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular; democratic
  Republic". The sovereign power is distributed among the Legislature, the C
  Executive and the Judiciary with checks and balances but not in water tight
  rigid mould. In our democracy governed by the rule of law, the Judiciary
  has expressly been entrusted with the power of judicial review as sential in
  qui vive. Basically judicial review of administrative actions as also of
  legislation is exercised against the action of the State. Since the State or D
  public authorities act in exercise of their executive or legislative power, they
  are amenable to the judicial review. The S~ate, therefore, is subject to etat
  de droit, i.e. the State is submitted to the law which implies that all actions
  of the State or its authorities and officials must be carried out subject to
  the Constitution and within the limits set by the law, i.e., constitutionalism.
  In other words, the State is to obey the law. The more the administrative E
  action in our welfare State expands widely touching the individuals, the
  more is the scope of judicial review of State action. Judicial review of
· administrative action is, therefore, an essential part of rule of law. The
  judicial control oil administrative action, thus, affords the courts to deter·
  mine not only the constitutionality of the law but also the procedural part . F ·
  of administrative action as a part of judicial review. The Constitution has
  devised permanent bureaucracy as part of the political executive. By opera-
  tion of Article 53 read with Articles 73 and 74 as well as Article 154 read
  with Articles 163 and 166, the business of the State is carried ori in
  accordance with the rules of business issued by the President/the Governor, G
  as the case may be, or the rules made for the subordinate officers in that
  behalf. The normal principle that the permanent bureaucracy is account-
  able to the political executive is subject to judicial review. The doctrine of
  "full faith and credit" applied to the acts done by the officers and presump-
  tive evidence of regularity of official acts done or performed, .is apposite
  in faithful discharge of duties to elongate public purpose and to be in H
                                                                           .      .-
    852                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS                    [1997) 1 S.C.R.
A accordance with the procedure prescribed. It is now settled legal position
    that the bureaucracy is also accountable for the acts done in accordance
    with the rules when judicial review is called to be exercised by the Courts.
    The hierarchichal responsibility for the decision is their in-built discipline.
    But the head of the DepartmenUdesignated officer is ultimately responsible
B   and accountable to the Court for the result of the action done or decision
    taken. Despite this, if there is any special circumstance absolving him of
    the accountability or if someone else is responsible for the action, he needs
    to bring them to the notice of the Court so that appropriate procedure is
    adopted and action taken. The controlling officer holds each of them
    responsible aMhe pain of disciplinary action. The object thereby is to
c   ensure compliance of the rule of law.

           The constitutional Courts exercise their power of judicial review with
    constraint to ensure that the authorities on whom the power is entrusted
    under the rule .of law or confided, is discharged truely, objectively, ex-
D   peditiously for the purpose for which substantive acts/results are intended.
    The petitioner being a member of the permanent exesutivc, is enjoined to
    comply with the orders of the Court passed in exercise of the judicial
    review. On an earlier occasion, while disposing of the writ petition, the
    High Court has directed the respondent to consider the case of the writ
    petitioner and to dispose it of with reasoned order within two months.
E   Obviously, the High Court expected that the authorities would discharge
    their duties expeditiously as enjoined under the rules and as per the
    directions. Si~cc they did not discharge the duty, necessarily, they were
    required to give explanation to the Court as to the circumstances in which
    they could not comply with the direction issued by the Court or if there
F   was any unavoidable delay, they should have sought further time for
    compliance. Unfortunately, neither of the steps have been taken by the
    officer in that regard. Therefore, the High Court was constrained to .impose
    the costs personally against him for non-compliance of the order.

          It is true and we are alive to the fact that when the officer is to take
G   steps as per the decision, some delay may occasion and generally the
    Courts would be reluctant to impose costs personally against the officers.
    But the officers arc required to go to the Court, give the appropriate
    explanation and satisfy the Court that they were prevented by cirsµmstan-
    ces for non-compliance within time specified by the Court. It is equally
H   salutary to note if the High Court feels it necessary to impose. costs
                       STAIBv. SUBHASHASINGH                             853
personally against the officers, the Court is required to enquire after giving A
notice and reasonable opportunity to the officer who could not be im-
pleaded earlier or was not on record, to explain the reasons for non-com-
pliance of the order or decision taken to file the proceedings. Take for
instance, delay in filing of an appeal or revision. It is known fact that in
 transaction of the Government business, non~ would own personal respon-
                                                                                .B
 sibility and decisions are leisurely taken at various levels. It is not uncom-
 mon that delay would be deliberately caused to confer advantage to the
 opposite litigant; more so when stakes involved are high or persons are well
 connected/influential or due to obvious considerations. The Courts, there-
 fore, do not adopt strict standard of proof of every day's delay. The
 imposition of costs on officers for filing appeals causes public injustice and C
 gives the manipulators an opportunity to compound the camouflage.
 Secondly, the imposition of costs personally against the officers will be
 counter productive and officers would desist to pursue genuine cases of
 public benefit or importance or of far reaching effect on public administra-
 tion or exchequer deflecting course of justice. The Court before imposing D
 costs personally against the officers should be circumspect and keep at the
 back of its mind the facts and circumstances in each case. Otherwise, public
justice will suffer irremediably. Unfortunately, in this case the delay .in
.compliance is of one year and five months and the officer has not ex-
 plained. The High Court was constrained to impose personal costs against
 the officer. Under the circumstances, we do not think that it is a fit case E
 for interference.

      The special leave petition is accordingly dismissed.

T.N.A.                                                    Petition dismissed.