KARNATAKA RARE EARTH AND ANR. v. THE SENIOR GEOLOGIST, DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND GEOLOGY AND ANR

Citation: [2004] 1 S.C.R. 965

Court: Supreme Court of India

Bench: R.C. LAHOTI, ASHOK BHAN, B.P. SINGH

Case summary

KARNATAKA RARE EARTH AND ANR. v. THE SENIOR GEOLOGIST, DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND GEOLOGY AND ANR.pdf

Judgment text

,. ,. J KARNATAKA RARE EARTH AND ANR. V. THE SENIOR GEOLOGIST, DEPARTMENT OF MINES AND GEOLOGY AND ANR. JANUARY 23, 2004 [R. C. LAHOTI, ASHOK BHAN AND B. P. SINGH, JJ. ] Land Laws: Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 19)7; Section 211 Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1969; Rule 3A: Grant of lease to quany granites-Challenge to--Grant of lease quashed by High Court- Writ appeal dismissed-On Appeal, Supreme Court passed interim orders directing renewal oflease and to release transport permits-Lessees operated quarries and exported granite blocks even after the dismissal ofthe appeals- State demanding price ofgranite exported-Challenge to--Dismissed by High . --+ Court-On appeal, Held: Provisions as to recovery ofprice could be construed ) .

as recovery of compensation and not penalty-On dismissal of appeals, extraction/disposal of mineral was without lawful authority-Lessees could not relain benefits earned by them in terms of inlerim orders of Supreme Court-State Government empowered in terms of Section 2I of the Act to order recovery ofprice in respect ofmineral extracted by the lesse. es without any lawfiil authority-Constitution of India, Article I42. Interpretation of Statutes: ,? - Section 21-Marginal note/Title-Penalties-Implication of-Held: It cannot be pressed into service to give such colour to the meaning of the provisions of law which ii cannot have in /aw-Construing so, recovery of price of•nineral by the State is compensalion in lieu ofloss ofmineral extracted by the Lessees without authority of law and not a penalty. Appellant-lessees were holding two quarry leases in Government '"'· land.

Grant of 203 such leases in Government land had been challenged and Single Judge of the High Court upheld the challenge and it was affirmed by the Division Bench of the High Court. The lessees unsuccessfully approached this Court. IAlankar Grani/es and Ors. v. PGR . Al· Scindia, MLA and Ors. , 1199617 SCC 4161 However, by its earlier interim orders, this Court directed that the renewals/grants in favour of the appellant-lessee would continue and also granted them transport permit. Appellants operated the quarries, transported blocks of granites/mim~ral and also exported the same to foreign countries even after dismissal of the appeals. State Government issued orders demanding price of the granite blocks so exported. Aggrieved, lessees challenged the order by way of Writ Petitions which were dismissed by the High Court. Hence the present appeals.

It was contended for the appellant-lessees that since the appellant had extracted and exported the granite blocks after payment of royalty and as per the said interim orders, they acted lawfully and bonajidely; that the mining lease was valid in terms of the interim orders of Supreme Court; and that the demand for price of grant of blocks by the State Government was in the nature of penalty. Dismissing the appeals, the Court HELD: I. I. The demand by the State of Karnataka of the pric1: of r- ' ' the mineral cannot be said to be levy of penalty or a penal action. Section 21 of the Mines & Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957 d1:als with a variety of situations. The provision as to recovery of price is in the nature of recovering the compensation and not penalty; so also the power of the State Government to recover rent, royalty or tax in respect of 11ny mineral raised without any lawful authority can also not be called a penal action.

The underlying principle of sub-section (S) of Section 21 is tha1t a person acting without any lawful authority must not find himself pla1:ed in a position more advantageous than a person raising minerals with lawful authority. (971-D F; Gf South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. v. State ofMP. and Ors. , (2003( 8 S4CC 648, relied on. 1. 2. It is true that by the interim orders passed by this Court the appellants were allowed during the pendency of the earlier appeals to operate under the mining leases, whether freshly granted or renewed and to effectuate the interim orders the authorities were also directed to issue transport permits. The plea of the appellants that the dismissal of the appeals was not in their knowledge cannot be accepted inasmuch as the KARNATAKA RARE EARW 1•. SNR. GEOLOGIST. DEPT. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY 967 ' . J. ' judgments must have been pronounced in an open Court and their counsel at Delhi must have gathered the knowledge thereof.

In any case, the appellants cannot be heard taking shelter behind their own convenient ignorance. Whether they had the knowledge of the judgment or not and whether the transport permits were obtained by the appellants before the dismissal of the appeals during which the interim orders were in operation . or after the dismissal of the appeals when the interim orders had ceased to operate would not make any difference. For the purposes of the law it is enough that the appellants have enjoyed the benefit under the interim orders of the Court which have stood vacated with the dismissal of their appeals. As the appellants have lost from the Court, they cannot be allowed to retain the benefit earned by them under the intei'im orders of this Court. The High Court has rightly held the appellants liable to be placed in the same position in which they would have been if this Court would not have protected them by issuing interim orders.

All that the State Government is demanding from the appellants was the price of the minor minerals. No penal proceedings, much less any criminal proceedings, have been initiated against the appellants. It cannot be said that the appellants were being asked to pay any penalty or are being subjected to any penal action. -~ I , 1972-B, C, D; 973-8, C, D, E) South Eastern Coalfields ltd. v. State ofMP. and Ors. , 12003) 8 SCC 648, relied on. 1. 3. The marginal note 'penalties' cannot be pressed into service for giving such colour to the meaning of sub-section (5) of Section 21 of the Act as it cannot have in law. The recovery of price of the mineral is intended to compensate the State for the loss of the mineral owned by it ,> and caused by a person who has been held to be not entitled in law to raise the same. There is no element of penalty involved and the recovery of price is not a penal action it is just compensatory. 1974-D, El Director ofPublic Prosecutions v.

Schildkamp, 119691 3 All ER 1640, referred to. Blacks law Dictonwy, Seventh Edition, P. 1421; The law lexicon, P. Ramanatha Aiyar, Second Edition, P. 1431; and Principles of Statuto1:v "' Interpretation by G. P. Singh, (Eighth Edition, 2001 P. 147), referred to. 1. 4. The Court while dismissing the appeals filed by the appellants in the year 1996, \'acated the interim orders, could ha\'e also relieved the . l • appellants of the consequences logically and necessarily flowing from the dismissal of the appeals by taking into consideration the equity of relieving against hardship or could also ha\'e done so in exercise of its jurisdiction conferred by Article 142 of the Constitution. (974-FJ. Samatha"· State ofA. P. and Ors. , (1997) 8 SCC 191, relied on. Hi11dus1a,1 Steel\'. State ofOrissa. , (1970( I SCR 753 and Consolidated Coffee"· Agricultural Income Tax Officer, (2001 ( I SCC 278, distinguislu~d. CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Ci\'il Appeal Nos. 3618- 3019 of 1999.

From the Judgment and Order dated 1. 12. 98 of the K. arnataka High Court in W. P. Nos. 4030-31 of 1997. K. V. Vishwanathan and K. V. Venkataraman for the Appellants. Sanjay R. Hegde for the Respondents. . . The Judgment of the Court was deli\'ered by R. C. LAHOTI, J. The grant of 203 leases for quarrying granite~. in go\'ernment land under Rule 3 of the Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession Rules 1969, contrary to the prohibition contained in Rule 3A, was challenged in the. Karnataka High Court in public interest litigation. The writ petitions .. were allowed by the learned single Judge and all the grants were quashed. Writ appeals were dismissed by a Di\'ision Bench of the High Court. The unsuccessful lessees came up to this Court and by judgment dated January - : SNR. GEOLOGIST, DEPT. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY (LAHOTI, I.

] 97 \ (5) Whenever any person raises, without ariy lawful authority, ·f ,1 any mineral from any land, the State Government may recover from such person the mineral so raised, or, where such mineral has already been disposed of, the price thereof, and may also recover from such ·person, rent, royalty or tax, as the case may be, for the period during which the land was occupied by such person without any lawful authority. (6) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), an offence under sub-section (I) shall be cognizable. " The submission of Shri Vishwanathan is that the impugned demand by the State of Karnataka has been raised by reference to sub-Section (5) of Section 21 above-quoted which is nothing but a levy of penalty.

The applicability of the provision is not attracted unless the extraction and export of the minor mineral by the appellants can be said to be 'without any lawful authority', which it is not, in the facts and circumstances of the case, as already noticed, submitted Shri Vishwanathan. .. ,. In our opinion, the demand by the State of Karnataka of the price of ' ' the mineral cannot be said to be levy of penalty or a penal action. The marginal note ofthe Section-'Penalties', creates a wrong impression. A reading of Section 21 shows that it deals with a variety of situations. Sub-Sections (I), (2), (4), (4A) and (6) are in the realm of criminal law. Sub-Section (3) empowers the State Government or any authority authorized in this behalf to summarily evict a trespasser.

Sub-Section (5) empowers the State Government to recover rent, royalty or tax from the person who has raised the mineral f~om any land without any lawful authority and also empowers the State Government to recover the price thereof where such mineral has already been . ~ disposed of inasmuch as the same would not be available for seizure and confiscation. The provision as to recovery of price is in the nature of recovering the compensation and not penalty so also the power of the State Government to recover rent, royalty or tax in respect of any mineral raised without any lawful authority can also not be called a penal action. The underlying principle of sub-Section (5) is that a person acting without any lawful authority must not find himself placed in a position more advantageous than a person raising ~ minerals with lawful authority. The correct principles of law applicable to the facts of the present case ..

,;( emanating from· equity, and statutorily embodied in sub-Section (5) ofSection l •• 21 abovesaid, are to be found dealt with extensively in a recent decision of this Court in South Eastern Coa(ftelds ltd. v. State ofM. P. and Ors. , [2003] s sec 648. It is true that by the interim orders passed by this Court the appellants were allowed during the pendency of the earlier appeals to operate under the mining leases, whether freshly granted or renewed and to effectuate the interim orders the authorities were also directed to issue transport permits. Admittedly, the transport permits were obtained by the appellants after the dismissal of their appeals. The appellants claim that both the parties were ignorant of the dismissal of the appeals when the transport permits were issued and the granite blocks were exported.

It is difficult to accept the plea ofthe appellants that the dismissal of the appeals was not in their knowledge inasmuch as the judgments must have been pronounced in an open Court and their counsel at Delhi must have gathered the knowledge thereof. In any case the appellants cannot be heard taking shelter behind their own convenient ignorance. In our opinion, whether they had the knowledge of the judgment or not and whether the transport permits were obtained by the appellants before the dismissal of the appeals during which the interim orders were in operation or afti~r the 1" .. dismissal of the appeals when the interim orders had ceased to operate would not make any difference. For the purposes of the law it is enough that the appellants have enjoyed the benefit under the interim orders of the Court which have stood vacated with the dismissal of their appeals.

It is also noteworthy that this Court had not, in the earlier appeals, directed the judgment of the High Court to remain stayed in its entirety and this is an additional fact or which tells adversely on the appellants.. In South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. , (supra), this Court dealt with the -( effect on the rights of the parties who have acted bona fide, protected by .. interim orders of the Court and incurre·d rights and obligations while the interim orders stood vacated or reversed at the end. The Court referred to the doctrine of actus curiae neminem gravabit and held that the doctrine wa:; not confined in its application only to such acts ofthe Court which were erroneous; the doctrine is applicable to all such acts as to which it can be held that the Court would not have so acted had it been correctly apprised of the facts and the law. It is the principle of restitution which is attracted.

When on account ~ of an act of the party, persuading the Court to pass an order, which at the end is held as not sustainable, has resulted in one party gaining advantage which it would not have otherwise earned, or the other party has suffered an KARNATAKA RARE EAR! ll 1·. SNR. GEOLOGIST, DEPT. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY [LAllOTI, J. l 973 impoverishment which it would not have suffered but for the order of the Court and the act of such party, then the successful pa11y finally held entitled to a relief, assessable in terms of money at the end ofthe litigation, is entitled to be compensated in the same manner in which the parties would have been if the interim order of the Cou11 would not have been passed. The successful party can demand (a) the delivery of benefit earned by the opposite party under the interim order of the Court, or (b) to make restitution for what it has lost.

In the facts of this case, in spite of the judgment of the High Court, if the appellants would not have persuaded this Court to pass the interim orders, they would not have been er. titled to operate the mining leases and to raise and remove and dispose of the minerals extracted. But for the interim orders passed by this Court, there is no difference between the appellants and any person raising, without any lawful authority, any mineral from any land, attracting applicability of sub-Section (5) of Section 21. As the appellants have lost from the Court they cannot be allowed to retain the benefit earned by them under the interim orders of the Court. The High Court has rightly held the appellants liable to be placed in the same position in which they would have been if this Court would not have protected them by issuing interim orders. All that the State Government is demanding from the appellants is the price of the minor minerals.

Rent, royalty or tax has already been recovered by the State Government and, therefore, there is no demand under that Head. No penal proceedings, much less any criminal proceedings, have been initiated against the appellants. It is absolutely incorrect to contend that the appellants are being asked to pay any penalty or are being subjected to any penal action. It is not the case of the appellants that they are being asked to pay a price more than what they have realised from the exports or that the price appointed by the respondent State is in any manner arbitrary or unreasonable. Is sub-section (5) of Section 21 a penal enactment? Can the demand of mineral or its pricl' tl1ereunder be called a penal action or levy of penalty? A penal statute or penal law is a law that defines an offence and prescribes its corresponding fine, penalty or punishment. (Blacks Law Dictionary, Seventh Edition, p. 1421 ). Penalty is a liability composed as punishment on the party committing the breach.

The very use of the term 'penal' is suggestive of punishment and may also include any extraordinary liability to which the law subjects a wrong-doer in favour of the person wronged, not lin1ited to the damages suffered. (See, The Law Lexicon, P. l • Ramanatha Aiyar, Second Edition, p. 1431). In support of the submission that the demand for the price of mineral raised and exported is in the nature of penalty, the learned counsel for the appellants has relied on the marginal note of Section 21. According to Justice G. P. Singh on Principles of Statutory Interpretation (Eighth Edition, 200 I, at p. 147) though the opinion is not uniform but the weight of authority is in favour of the view that the marginal note appended to a Section cannot be used for construing the Section.

There is no justification for restricting the Section by the marginal note nor does the marginal note control the meaning of the body of the Section if the language employed therein is clear and spells out its own meaning. In Director ofPublic l'rooecutions v. Schildkamp, (1969] 3 All ER 1640, Lord Reid opined that a side note is a poor guide to the scope of a section for it can do no more than indicate the main subject with which the section deals and Lord Upjohn opined that a side note being a brief precis of the section forms a most unsure guide to the construction of the enacting section and very rarely it might throw some light on the intentions of Parliament just as a punctuation mark. f We are clearly of the opinion that the marginal note 'penalties' cannot be pressed into service for giving such colour to the meaning of sub-Section (5) as it cannot have in law.

The recovery of price of the mineral is intend,ed to compensate the State for the loss of the mineral owned by it and caused by person who has been held to be not entitled in law to raise the same. There is no element of penalty involved and the recovery of price is not a penal action. It is just compensatory. The Court while dismissing the appeals filed by the appellants in the year 1996, which dismissal vacated the interim orders, could have also relieved _... ·• the appellants of the consequences logically and necessarily flowing from the dismissal of the appeals by taking into consideration the equity of relieving against hardship or could also have done so in exercise of its jurisdiction conferred by Article 142 of the Constitution. So was done in Samatha v. State ofA. I'. and Ors. , [1997] 8 SCC 191, 277 para 131.

This Court having directed the State Government to ensure further mining operations by industrialists concerned in the scheduled area, restrained the lessees of mining l ( leases not to break fresh mines, but in the meanwhile allowed them to remove the minerals already extracted and stocked in the reserved forest area within four months' time from the date of judgment. KARNATAKA RARE EARlll 1·. SNR. GEOLOGIST, DEPT. OF MINES AND GEOLOGY [LAllOTl,J. ] 975 Neither the appellants prayed for 5uch relief nor the Court has passed ). I• any such order. What this Court had not done, could not obviously have been done by the High Court in exercise of its writ jurisdiction in view of the earlier judgment of this Court having achieved a finality. The two decisions relied on by the learned counsel for the appellants are not applicable to the facts of the present cases. Hindustan Steel (supra) is a case under the Orissa Sales Tax Act, 1947.

The appellant company was engaged in construction activity. During the course of such activity the company supplied building materials to the contractor for construction and .... 4 adjusted the value of the goods ~upplied at the rates specified in the tender. The Court held such transaction of supply of building materials to be sale and, therefore, the company a 'dealer' covered by the Act. However, the persons incharge ofthe affairs of the company had not registered the company as dealer in the honest and genuine belief that the company was not a dealer. The Court held that the liability to pay penalty did not arise merely upon proof of default in registering as a dealer.

An order imposing penalty for failure to carry out the statutory obligation is the result of a quasi-criminal proc11eding and penalty will not ordinarily be imposed unless the party obliged has either acted deliberately in defiance of law or was guilty of conduct ;~ contumacious or dishonest or acted in conscious disregard of its obligation. Penalty will not also be imposed merely because it is lawful to do so. In spite of a minimum penalty prescribed the authority competent to impose the penalty may refuse to impose penalty if the breach complained of was technical or venial breach or flew from a bona fide though mistaken belief. In Consolidated Coffee (supra), the court was dealing with Section 42(1) of Karnataka Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1957.

A default by assessee in making payment of tax attracted a penalty equivalent to one and a one-half percent of the tax remaining unpaid for the first three months and two and one-half ,,>- percent of such tax for each month subsequent thereto. There was also provision for payment of interest on delayed payment of tax. This Court held that interest is compensatory while penalty is penal, i. e. punishing in character. Where delay in payment of tax was attiibutable to the order of stay passed by the Court, it was held that the order of stay placed the demand for the tax in abeyance and, therefore, during the period of stay the assessee cannot be said to be in default and hence no penalty can be imposed on the assessee on the stay being vacated. However, still the Court held that a late payment ~ surcharge/interest is necessarily compensatory in character and a penalty is a punishment.

A At the end, the learned counsel for the appellants submi(ted that the appellants may be allowed the liberty of making a representation to the State Government for some relier at least in the calculation of the amount of price. Needless to say that the appellants are always at liberty to do and we express no opinion thereon. B The appeals are dismissed though without any order as to the costs. S. K. S. Appeals dismissed. -r- . ' '