Withdrawal of original application permitted with liberty to file a fresh, better-drafted application.

17 applicants, led by Shri Sumit Patle, filed an Original Application (OA) and two Miscellaneous Applications (MAs) before the Central Administrative Tribunal, Principal Bench.

At the commencement of the proceedings, the counsel for the applicants moved an oral prayer seeking to withdraw the current OA and the associated MAs.

The justification provided for the withdrawal was the intent to file a more effectively drafted application in the future.

1. Whether the applicants may be permitted to withdraw the pending Original Application and Miscellaneous Applications with the liberty to file a fresh, better-drafted application.

The Tribunal exercised its inherent procedural powers to allow the withdrawal of a petition under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985.

It applied the principle of granting "liberty" to re-file, which ensures that a withdrawal based on formal or technical drafting defects does not preclude the applicants from approaching the forum again on the same cause of action.

The Tribunal considered the request made by the applicants' counsel at the outset of the hearing.

Given that the counsel sought to withdraw the matter specifically to rectify drafting issues ("to file a better drafted one"), the Bench determined that there was no legal impediment to granting such a request.

By granting "liberty as prayed," the Tribunal protected the applicants from the potential application of res judicata or procedural bars that might otherwise arise from a simple dismissal, thereby allowing for a future adjudication on the merits of a revised petition.

OA No. 4512/2025 was dismissed as withdrawn. All pending MAs were ordered as disposed of, and the Tribunal directed that no costs be imposed on the parties.