CHENNAI: The second bench of the Madras High Court has rejected a plea from a woman, who was running 11 stalls at different railway stations in the State, to stall the tender process of the IRCTC for providing new licences for stalls.
“Properties of government cannot be allowed to be fettered by perpetuity. By clinging to the stall eternally, the petitioner will be only depriving others of the opportunity. Having had her fingers in the pie, she would only like to cling to it and have the whole pie for herself. It is in the fitness of things that everybody has a taste of the pie. Therefore, there is no uprooting of the petitioner, but there is only uprooting of avarice of the individuals,” the bench of Justices Huluvadi G Ramesh and M Dhandapani said last week.
That apart, the decision taken by the Railways to lease out the stalls through public auction is in larger interest of the public. The competition will bring the best price, which will only ensure benefit to the public. If the right is leased out by public auction, everyone will have a chance to participate, , the bench added and dismissed the PIL from one P K Amina.