PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has quashed the order of the Commissioner of Excise against a licence holder, ruling that she was not given a chance to be heard before the penalty was imposed.
The Court directed the Commissioner to issue a fresh notice or inform petitioner Chandani Satardekar of the hearing date and conduct the matter afresh.
In her plea before the Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Nivedita Mehta, Satardekar “ through her lawyer “ argued that the department’s order of August 14, 2025, was passed without giving her an opportunity to be heard.
She stated that she never received a Show Cause Notice and therefore could not take part in the hearing before the Excise Commissioner, despite having filed a written reply on August 11, 2025.
She also pointed out that the Village Panchayat had revoked the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for her liquor outlet.
However, in appellate proceedings, a status quo order was passed.
“Therefore, the very basis of the impugned order does not survive,” her lawyer argued.
The Bench noted the assurance of the Additional Government Advocate, who said the Commissioner would provide a fair hearing before passing a fresh order.
The government also stated that the petitioner had the option of filing an appeal and that her written submissions had been considered. It was, however, admitted that the Panchayat’s action regarding the NOC is under a status quo order.
Accepting this, the Bench quashed the Commissioner’s order but allowed the Commissioner to issue a fresh notice or give a hearing date to the petitioner for further proceedings.
