Public Authority

It is the requirement of Art. 4 of the Constitution that for an action of administrative body or tribunal to be clothed with legality, the public authority must not have exceeded its statutory power.

Where a public authority had the option to avoid replicating an earlier mistake but at some cost to equal treatment, the choice was one for the authority rather than the court, subject to the usual constrains of lawfulness and rationality

If, and only if, the authority acted outside such constraints would its choice be subject to judicial review.

Public authority possessed powers only to use them for public good and this imposed a duty to act fairly.

Public authority was a body which had public or statutory duties to perform and which performed such duties and carried out its transactions for the benefit of the public and not for private gain or profit

Such an authority, however was not precluded from making a profit for the public benefit.

Competent authority had power to draw reasonable classification amongst different groups and same could not be upset until and unless same was proved to have been launched against fundamental rights of citizens.

Nature and scope.

Scope.

Scope.

Scope.

Whether Municipal Corporation ("Corporation") of the city and Licensing Authority for cinemas could be held liable for improper discharge of statutory functions

Scope.

Enforcement of constitutional rights by courts.

High Court held cinema owner and Power Board liable to pay compensation at a flat rate of Rs. 18 lakhs for each deceased person aged above 20 years and Rs. 15 lakhs for each deceased person aged below 20 years

High Court also awarded punitive damages of Rs. 2.5 crores against the cinema owner based on the profits he had obtained from installing illegal and unauthorized seats at the cinema

Validity.

Enforcement of constitutional rights by courts.

Nature and scope.

Public authority cannot by agreement fetter its rights and discretion vested in it by law.