31 31 Complaint Notice To Public Authority

Complaint / Notice
(To Public Official / Authority)

From,
The name & address of the Complainant

To,
The Designation & Address of the Public Official / Authority
(Complaint must be given to a person who is legally entitled to receive & is directly responsible to
solve the issue raised in the Complaint)

Subject of the Complaint / Notice

INDEX

Particulars Page No.
Brief / Complete facts of the case
Relevant provisions of law
Application of law to facts of the case
Important case laws/ judgments
Provisions of law under which the public authority is obliged under the law
Legal Expectation
The consequences that may follow
SC Judgment in Salem Advocate Bar Association, Tamil Nadu Vs. Union of India
Attachments
Post Script

Dear Sir / Madam

Brief / Complete facts of the case for which the Complaint / Notice is
sought to be given. State other relevant points as you think necessary.

Relevant provisions of law: under which the person against whom action is

sought in this complaint / Notice is acting contrary to law.

Application of law to facts of the case:

Narrate how the acts and omissions of the person against whom action is sought in this complaint is
acting against the provisions of law stated above. The facts of the complaint must follow the
language of the section and must be in conformity and in line with the provisions of law. (It is not
very necessary to state the law, but it is desirable to make an impressive and alarming complaint)

Important case laws/ judgments that are relevant to circumstances of the
present case. (if any available)

Provisions of law under which the public authority is
obliged under the law to attend the nature of the Complaint narrated hereinbefore and

to take needed action in this regard.

Section 14 of General Clauses Act 1897: Powers conferred to be exercisable from time to
time.- (1) Where, By any (Central Act) or Regulation made after the commencement of this Act,
any power is conferred then (unless a different intention appears) that power may be exercised from
time to time as occasions requires. This section applies also to all (Central Acts) and Regulations
made on or after the fourteenth day of January, 1887.

Legal Expectation:
(a)
(b)

The consequences that may follow: This is to inform you that your failure
to comply to legal expectation as stated hereinbefore, may compel us to institute legal Proceedings
as permissible under the law, including Remedy under Writ Jurisdiction, at your personal cost,

taking aid of law settled by Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in below Salem Advocate Bar
Association, Tamilnadu Vs. Union of India case.

Moreover, we will specifically plead before the Court of law to remove you from the present public
office because you have voluntarily abstained yourself in performing your legal duties, the duties
which you have voluntarily undertaken & promised to perform while assuming charge of this Public
Office. The Writ of Quo-Warranto is resourceful enough to take care of this relief.

SC Judgment in Salem Advocate Bar Association, Tamil
Nadu Vs. Union of India: I wish to inform you that in Salem Advocate Bar

Association, Tamil Nadu Vs. Union of India (UOI), (2005) 6 SCC 344, the Hon'ble Supreme Court,
among other things, has observed and directed “…

The Governments, government departments or statutory authorities are defendants in a large
number of Cases pending in various courts in the country. Judicial notice can be taken of the fact
that in a large number of cases either the notice is not replied to or in the few cases where a reply is
sent, it is generally vague and evasive. It not only gives rise to avoidable litigation but also results
in heavy expenses and costs to the exchequer as well.

A proper reply can result in reduction of litigation between the State and the citizens. In case a
proper reply is sent, either the claim in the notice may be admitted or the area of controversy
curtailed, or the citizen may be satisfied on knowing the stand of the State.

Having regard to the existing state of affairs, we direct all Governments, Central or State or other
authorities concerned, whenever any statute requires service of notice as a condition precedent for
filing of suit or other proceedings against it, to nominate, within a period of three months, an officer
who shall be made responsible to ensure that replies to notices under Section 80 or similar
provisions are sent within the period stipulated in a particular legislation.

The replies shall be sent after due application of mind. Despite, if the court finds that either the
notice has not been replied to or the reply is evasive and vague and has been sent without proper
application of mind, the court shall ordinarily award heavy costs against the Government and direct
it to take appropriate action against the officer concerned including recovery of costs from him.”.

It may happen that the High Court also, like the Supreme Court had questioned the Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh's silence on application received from Subramanium Swamy on 2G
Scam, may question – why you have remained silent -EXPLAIN

Please take this complaint as our notice under section 80 of CPC 1908.

Thanking you in the anticipation of your effective action in this regard.

With Regards

Xyz.

Attachments (if any)
(a)

(b)

Post Script:
(1) Whereas you are a Public Servant and therefore this is to inform you about some of the

offences relating to obligations of public servants in the discharge of their official duties.

Section 166 of India Penal Code declares that when a Public Servant, in the discharge of his
official duty, knowingly refuses to do what he is under obligation to do under the law and knowing
that thereby he will cause injury to any person, commits the offence under this section. Section 44
of Indian Penal Code defines the scope of Injury within the meaning of offences defined under
Indian Penal Code. Injury implies the doing of any act causing unlawful- harm to reputation, harm
to property, causing mental alarm, Bodily harm.

Section 167 of Indian Penal Code declares that When a Public Servant who has the responsibility
of preparing any document or translating any document, knowingly prepares any document
incorrrectly or knowingly translate incorrectly, knowing that his such act will cause injury to any
person, commits offence under this section.

Section 217 of Indian Penal Code declares that when a Public Servant, in the discharge of his
official duty, acting contrary to law, knowingly conduct himself in such a manner, thereby knowing
that his act will--
(a) save a person from any legal punshment or to secure lesser punishment for that person to which
he is liable for;
(b) save a property from forfeiture or charge to which that property is liable to,
commits offence under this section.

Section 218 of Indian Penal Code declares that when a Public Servant, in the discharge of his
official duty, who has been charged with the duty of preparation of any Record or any Writing,
knowingly prepares incorrectly such record or writing, with the knowledge that by preparing such
incorrect Record or Writing he will cause (a) loss or injury to Public or to any person (b) save a
person from any legal punshment or to secure lesser punishment for that person to which he is liable
for; (c) save a property from forfeiture or charge to which that property is liable to. Commits
offence under this section.

Section 220 of Indian Penal Code declares that When a Public Servant, who by reason of his
holding that Office, is empowered to prosecute a person for criminal offence or who is empowered
by law to take a person under confinement, exercise his such powers against a person, knowing that
he is by exercise of such powers acting contrary to law, and knows that he should not prosecute the
person or knows that he should not put the person under confinement, commites offence under this

section.

Also,

Section 191 of Indian Penal Code declares that when a person, who is under legal obligation,
either on oath or under any provision of law, to state the truth, to declare upon any subject,
knowingly makes false statement, the statement which he believes that it is false or he believes that
it is not true, commits the offence under this section.
Offences relating to making false statement in the sworn Affidavits, written statements and
applications comes within the purview of this section.

Section 196 of Indian Penal Code declares that When a person give or attempt to give any
evidence as true or genuine evidence, knowing that the evidence he is giving is false or fabricated,
to obstruct in the course of justice, commits the offence under this section.

Section 199 of Indian Penal Code declares that when a person, voluntarily makes a declaration to
a Court or to any public Servant, who are bound to take such declaration as evidence, and the
person knowingly makes false statement in such declaration, the statement which he believed it to
be false or he believed it to be not true. Also, the false statement so made must touch a point
material to the object of such declaration, commits the offence under this section.

(2) Few words about Discretionary powers of the Public Servant:
Discretion being an element in all powers, but the concept of discretion imports a duty to be fair,
candid and unprejudiced; not arbitrary, capricious or biased; much less, warped by resentment or
personal dislike. Discretion allowed by the statute to the holder of an office is intended to be
exercise according to the rules of reason and not according to personal opinion.

Discretionary powers are never absolute. Even if a statutory pronouncement state explicitly that the
discretion it grants is absolute, this discretion is interpreted as requiring the holder of the authority
to act strictly according to some procedure such as granting a hearing and acting impartially and
acting in such a way to achieve the goal of the legislation for which the authority has been granted.

If a decision on a matter is so unreasonable that no authority could ever have come to it, then the
courts can interfere. The repository of discretion must be prepared to justify in court the
reasonableness of his belief and in arriving at a decision in the exercise of his discretionary powers.

It is not enough to say that the discretion was exercised honestly by the authority.

It is pertinent to note that any action, decision or order of any statutory or public authority bereft of
reasoning would be arbitrary, unfair and unjust violating article 14 of the Constitution of India or
would be deemed to have been taken or arrived at by adopting unfair procedure offending article 21
of Constitution of India. Krishna Swami Vs Union of India. AIR 1993 SC 1407

LORD GREENE, MR in Associated Provincial Picture House Ltd Vs Wednesbury Corp observed
that it is a established law that a Person entrusted with a discretion must direct himself properly in
law. He must call his own attention to the matters which he is bound to consider. He must exclude
from his considerations matters which are irrelevant to the matter that he has to consider. If he does
not obey those rules, he may truly be said, and often is said, to be acting unreasonably.

The abuse of discretionary power is like saying- “as an Authority of Public Power- I may decide but
declines to let you know the reasons or grounds of my decisions or provide reasons without being
reasonable.

Reasons disclose how the mind is applied to the subject matter for a decision whether it is purely
administrative or quasi judicial; and reveal a rational nexus between the facts considered and
conclusions reached. Union of India Vs Mohan Lal Capoor (1973) 2 SCC 836

The Apex Court in one case viewed that when statute confers discretion on a holder of public office
that should be exercised reasonable and rationally. U.P. State Road Transport Corporation V Mohd
Ismail (1991) 3 SCC 239.

In our humble view- The basis of every law or every rule OR EVERY EXERCISE OF
DISCRETION or every decision govt or govt agencies take, is on the premise of greatest good of
the greatest number of people. The forms of accountability may differ but the basic idea remains the
same that the holders of High Public Office must be able to publicly justify their exercise of power
not only as legally valid but also socially wise just and reasonable, chiefly designed to add
something more to the quality of life of the people. Every exercise of Power depend on this ideal for
its validity.

A note was struck by Apex Court in Superintending Engineer, Public health, U.T. Chandigarh V
Kuldeep Singh when it observed: “Every Public servant is a trustee of the society; and in all facets

of public administration, every public servant has to exhibit honesty, integrity, sincerity and
faithfulness in the implementation of the political, social, economic and constitutional policies to
integrate the nation, to achieve excellence & efficiency in public administration. ...”

1. Check the mode of giving the notice. It is desirable to give notice by Regd AD, by Speed
Post or by authorized Courier services.
2. To check if any statutory format is prescribed to issue Notice.
3. Consider to send a brief telegram to the person- Please Check my Notice dated xx.yy.zzzz.

DISCLAIMER: Though due care has been observed in
framing this format, yet some discrepancies may have
entered in. The Writer incurs no liability of whatsoever
nature, if readers’ incurs any loss of any nature, while using
this material. The readers are strongly advised to obtain
guidance of Legal experts or of any other person before
they use this format.
It is extremely requested that if you find any discrepancy of any nature in this format,
or if you have suggestion to improve upon this, please inform me at
legallyspeaking.jalan@gmail.com. If you find this format useful, consider to share it
with your friends & relatives. Thanks. Sandeep Jalan, Advocate, Mumbai, India.

31 31 Complaint Notice To Public Authority

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