#administrative penalty

The Bombay High Court has ruled that cancelling an excise license for minor operational violations requires a reasoned assessment of proportionality and mandatory consideration of the licensee's reply. This sets a critical precedent for administrative fairness in licensing sanctions, protecting small licensees from disproportionate penalties without due process.

The Chhattisgarh High Court struck down the downgrade of a Class-A contractor for failing to disclose sublet work, ruling that applying a newly introduced disclosure requirement to past tenders without prior notice breaches natural justice. The judgment establishes that inadvertent omissions, absent intent to deceive, cannot justify disproportionate penalties under tender regulations.