An administrative order passed without the court-directed hearing violates natural justice and must be quashed.

In an earlier proceeding, the High Court permitted the petitioner to contest show-cause notices before the authority and directed the authority to provide an adequate opportunity of hearing and pass a reasoned order.

The respondent No. 2 subsequently passed an order dated 6 August 2026.

The petitioner challenged it, and its operation was stayed pending final hearing.

The State’s counsel acknowledged that the order had been passed without giving the petitioner an opportunity of hearing and tendered an unconditional apology on behalf of respondent No. 2.

Respondent No. 3 referred to earlier show-cause notices, but did not dispute that the impugned order was passed without a hearing.

Whether the order dated 6 August 2026, passed without providing the petitioner an opportunity of hearing, violated the principles of natural justice and the earlier directions of the High Court.

Whether the impugned order should be set aside and the proceedings reconsidered after hearing the petitioner.

The Court applied the principles of natural justice, including the requirement to provide an affected person an adequate opportunity of hearing before making an adverse decision.

It also applied its earlier direction in Special Civil Application No. 8404 of 2026, which required the authority to permit the petitioner to present her defences and thereafter pass a reasoned order.

No statute or other precedent was identified as the basis of the Court’s decision.

The earlier order expressly required the authority to provide an adequate opportunity of hearing and issue a reasoned decision.

The Court found that the impugned order had been made without the required hearing, contrary both to that direction and to the principles of natural justice.

It rejected respondent No. 2’s explanation that the omission resulted from a bona fide mistake, while issuing a caution rather than taking an adverse view of the officer’s conduct.

It restored the proceedings to the stage of the petitioner’s reply to the show-cause notice and directed respondent No. 2 to issue a fresh hearing notice, hear the parties, and pass a reasoned order in accordance with law.

The proceedings were to be completed within two months of receipt of the judgment, with the parties to cooperate.

Any adverse order was not to be implemented for two weeks until served on the petitioner.

The petition was disposed of.