# JANKI SUGAR MILLS & CO v. COMMISSIONER OF MEERUT DIVISION, MEERUT

- **Citation:** [1979] 2 S.C.R. 778
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1978-12-14
- **Case number:** Civil Appeal No. 1083 of 1969
- **Bench:** R. S. Sarkaria, V. D. Tulzapurkar
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/janki-sugar-mills-co-v-commissioner-of-meerut-division-meerut-7635
- **Pages:** 10

## Headnote

"Bonded Cane", meaning of,-True effect of the provisions of 1ub·clauses
(2) and (3) of cl. 3 of the U.P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order, 1954,
i.Ysued under s. 16 of the U.P. Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase)
Act, 1953.
The Government of India notified its decision that certain deductions in
the minimum cttne price, on the basis of recovery of sugar from sugarcane
will be allowed to sugarcane factories in U.P. on the cane supplied to them
on and after May 1, 1955 but that the deductions will be allowed enly on
"unbonded cane" crushed by each factory and not on "bonded cane", the
latter of which shall have to be purchased by ebch factory at the minimum
cane price already fixed for the season. In exercise of the powers delegated
to him under s. 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, the Cane
Commissioner U.P. issued a Notification on June, 1,
1955,
whereunder
"the
producers of sugar by vacμum pan process were allowed to make deductions
as specified in the Schedule thereto from the minimum price of per mnund of
cane fixed for the season 1954-55 in respect of
the
unbonded
sugarcane
crushed on and after May I, 1955.
The appellant firm taking advantage of this Notification granting concesMon in the minimum price, made payment to Laskar Co-operative Cane
Development Union Ltd; after making deductions in respect of 2 lac n1aunds
of sugarcane supplied to it, under an agreement entered into pursuant to the
offer made to it on March 22, 1955.
However, on December 21, 1955 the
Cane Commissioner issued a Recovery Certificate under Sections 17 and 18
of U.P. Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase)
Act,
1953
against
the appellant firm for a sum of Rs. 53,879.JO being the amount deducted by
the appellant firm while making payments to Laskar Co-operative
Union.
On a challenge to legality of the Recovery Certificate, the dispute was referred
to the sole arbitrator, the District Cane Officer under Rule 108 of the U.P.
Sugrucane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase) Rules, 1954.
Tue arbitrator
found that the supply of sugarcane was "bonded cane" and therefore gave
an award that the appellant was not entitled to the concession and was liable
to pay the minimum price therefor.
An appeal to the Divisional Con1missioner having been
dismissed,
the
appellant-firm filed a Writ Petition in the Allahabad High Court which also
was rejected.
A further special appeal also proving unsuccessful the appellantfirm appealed to the Supreme Court after obtaining a certificate of fitness.
Dismissing the appeal, the Court,
HELD : 1. Neither the expression "bonded sugarcane"
nor
"unbonded
sugar cane" has been defined either in the Statute or in the U.P. Sugarcane
Supply and Purchase Order, 1954.
Having regard to the ordinary dictionary
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JANK! SUGAR MILLS V. COMMISSIONER
779
meaning of the said expressions, the expression "bonded sugarctl.11e" must mean
A
Sugar Cane secured by a bond or deed. [783 G-H, 784 AJ.
2. Under the Notification of the Cane Commissioner dated June 1, 1955
certain deductions from the n1inimum price per maund of cane fixed for the
season 1954-55 had been notified in respect of the
"unbonded sugarcane"
crushed on or after May 1, 1955. In other words, the concession is
granted
in respect of the supply of 'unbo'fided
sugarcane
in
contradistinction
with
supply of 'bonded sugarcane. There is nothing in the Notification to suggest
that any particular bond or a bond in accordance with the provisions of the
U.P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order 1954 was intended and therefore
supply of 'bonded sugarclJ•nc' \Vould mean supply of sugarcane which has been
secured by a bond or an agreement and such supply will not be entitled to
the concession.
On a plain reading of the Notification in question, therefore,
it will appear clear that since the supply of two lac maunds
of
sugarcane
made by respondent no. 4 to the appellta·nt-firm had been secured
by
the
agreement that was entered into between the parties on May 4, 1955 the said

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JANKI SUGAR MILLS & CO.
v.
COMMISSIONER OF MEERUT DIVISION, MEERUT
December 14, 1978
[R. S. SARKARIA AND V. D. TULZAPURKAR, JJ.)
"Bonded Cane", meaning of,-True effect of the provisions of 1ub·clauses
(2) and (3) of cl. 3 of the U.P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order, 1954,
i.Ysued under s. 16 of the U.P. Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase)
Act, 1953.
The Government of India notified its decision that certain deductions in
the minimum cttne price, on the basis of recovery of sugar from sugarcane
will be allowed to sugarcane factories in U.P. on the cane supplied to them
on and after May 1, 1955 but that the deductions will be allowed enly on
"unbonded cane" crushed by each factory and not on "bonded cane", the
latter of which shall have to be purchased by ebch factory at the minimum
cane price already fixed for the season. In exercise of the powers delegated
to him under s. 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, the Cane
Commissioner U.P. issued a Notification on June, 1,
1955,
whereunder
"the
producers of sugar by vacμum pan process were allowed to make deductions
as specified in the Schedule thereto from the minimum price of per mnund of
cane fixed for the season 1954-55 in respect of
the
unbonded
sugarcane
crushed on and after May I, 1955.
The appellant firm taking advantage of this Notification granting concesMon in the minimum price, made payment to Laskar Co-operative Cane
Development Union Ltd; after making deductions in respect of 2 lac n1aunds
of sugarcane supplied to it, under an agreement entered into pursuant to the
offer made to it on March 22, 1955.
However, on December 21, 1955 the
Cane Commissioner issued a Recovery Certificate under Sections 17 and 18
of U.P. Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase)
Act,
1953
against
the appellant firm for a sum of Rs. 53,879.JO being the amount deducted by
the appellant firm while making payments to Laskar Co-operative
Union.
On a challenge to legality of the Recovery Certificate, the dispute was referred
to the sole arbitrator, the District Cane Officer under Rule 108 of the U.P.
Sugrucane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase) Rules, 1954.
Tue arbitrator
found that the supply of sugarcane was "bonded cane" and therefore gave
an award that the appellant was not entitled to the concession and was liable
to pay the minimum price therefor.
An appeal to the Divisional Con1missioner having been
dismissed,
the
appellant-firm filed a Writ Petition in the Allahabad High Court which also
was rejected.
A further special appeal also proving unsuccessful the appellantfirm appealed to the Supreme Court after obtaining a certificate of fitness.
Dismissing the appeal, the Court,
HELD : 1. Neither the expression "bonded sugarcane"
nor
"unbonded
sugar cane" has been defined either in the Statute or in the U.P. Sugarcane
Supply and Purchase Order, 1954.
Having regard to the ordinary dictionary
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JANK! SUGAR MILLS V. COMMISSIONER
779
meaning of the said expressions, the expression "bonded sugarctl.11e" must mean
A
Sugar Cane secured by a bond or deed. [783 G-H, 784 AJ.
2. Under the Notification of the Cane Commissioner dated June 1, 1955
certain deductions from the n1inimum price per maund of cane fixed for the
season 1954-55 had been notified in respect of the
"unbonded sugarcane"
crushed on or after May 1, 1955. In other words, the concession is
granted
in respect of the supply of 'unbo'fided
sugarcane
in
contradistinction
with
supply of 'bonded sugarcane. There is nothing in the Notification to suggest
that any particular bond or a bond in accordance with the provisions of the
U.P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order 1954 was intended and therefore
supply of 'bonded sugarclJ•nc' \Vould mean supply of sugarcane which has been
secured by a bond or an agreement and such supply will not be entitled to
the concession.
On a plain reading of the Notification in question, therefore,
it will appear clear that since the supply of two lac maunds
of
sugarcane
made by respondent no. 4 to the appellta·nt-firm had been secured
by
the
agreement that was entered into between the parties on May 4, 1955 the said
supply V.'ill have to be regarded as supply of "bonded sugarcane" and as
such
the appellant-firm was not entitled to the concession in the minimum price
payable in respect thereof to respondent no. 4, Laskar
Co-operative
Cane
Development Union. [784 B-E].
3. On a fair reading of the sub-els. (2) and (3) of cl. 3 of the Order
tv ... o er three things become at once clear.
In the first place sub·cl. (2)
uses
the expression 'may' and provides that a cane-grower er cane-grov,rers'· cooperative Society may within 14 days of the issue of an order reserving an
13.rea for a factory make an offer to supply the cane grown in the reserved
area to the factory. That the period of 14 days mentioned in
this
subclause is not imperative or mandatory is also clear from sub-cl. (4) V.'hich
confers power upon the Cane Commissioner to extend the date for making
offer in respect 0,f any reserved area. Secondly, sub-cl. (3) uses the expression 'shall' indicating thla1 an imperative obligation is cast upon the factory
to accept the offer \Vithin 14 days from the receipt of the offer. Reading the
two sub-clauses together, it becomes clear that if a cane-grower or
canegrowers' Co-operative Society makes an offer within 14 days mentioned
in
sub-cf. (2) it is obligatory upon the occupier of the factory to accept that
offer within 14 d\3.ys of the receipt of the offer; this only means that if the
offer is made by cane-grower or cane-growers' Co-operative Society beyond
the period specified in sub-cl. (2) or the extended time under sub-cl. (4) it
would not be obligatory but optional for the occupier of the factory to accept
the said offer but if such offer made beyond the prescribed or extended period
is accepted by the occupier of the factory a binding agreement comes
into
:existence behi.'een the parties pnd sugmrcane supplied thereunder would be
bonded suglJ:rcane', more so when the agreement is entered into in the prescribed form.
f\.ferely because the offer from the
cane-grower
or
canegrowers' Co-operative Society emanates after the expiry of the period mentioned
in sub-cl. (2) it does not nlean that the parties are preventive from entering in
10 an agreement in the prescribed form and if they do, as was the case here,
the sugar cane supplied there-under v.·ould be 'bonded sugarcane'. Therefore,
considering the question in the context of sub-cl. (2) and sub-cl. (3) of the U.P.
sugarcane supply and Purchase Order, 1954, also the appellant-firm \\<ls
not
entitled to the benefit of the Cane Commissioner's Notification dated June
1,
1955. [784 E-F, 785 F-H, 786 A-D].
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SUPRE11E COURT REPORTS
[] 979] 2 S.C.R.
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4. The contention that sugarcane supplied by the canegrov,iers or caneB
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gro\'.•crs' Co-operative Society could be regarded as "bonded
sugarcane"
only
if offer of the Crinegrower or the Canegrowers Co-operative Society emanates
within the period prescribed by sub-clause (2) and the same is taccepted by
the occupier within the period prescribed by sub-cl. ( 3) is not correct. [786 D-£]
5. The true effect of sub-clauses (2) and (3) read together is that the
compulsion or obligation to accept the offer on the part of the occupier of
the factory arises only when the offer is made by the cane-grower or Canegrinvcrs' Co-operative Society within the time prescribed by sub-cl. (2) 0r the
extended time under sub-cl. (4) but if the offer is made after th~ expity of that
peri0d it ts optional for the factory occupier to accept it or not but in cases where
he accepts such offer a binding agreement comes into existence, and the sugarcane
supplied thereunder becomes "bonded sugarcane".
[786 E-1-1].
6. In the instant case the offer of additiOnal quantity of two lac maunds
of sut,t1:rcane was undoubtedly made long after the expiry of the
period of
sub-cl. (2) but the same was accepted by the appeilant-firm and
a
binding
agreement came into existence and what is more a binding agreement
was
executed by the parties in the prescribed Form 'C'. Further the conduct on
the part of the appellant-firm in referring the dispute to !arbitration and filing
an appeal against the arbitrator's award under the relevant
Rules
clearly
shows that the parties, particularly the nppellant-firm, treated the agreement
dated May 4, 1955 as one under the Act and the U.P. Sugarcane Supply and
Purchase Order, 1954. [786 F-H].
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 1083 of 1969.
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Appeal from the Judgment and Order dated 5-12-1967 of the
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Allahabad High Court in Special Appeal No. 1068 of 1967.
J. P. Goyal and Sobhagmal Jain for the Appellant.
G. N. Dikshit and 0. P. Rana for Respondents 1-3.
Yogeshwar Prashad and Mrs. S. Bagga for Respondent No. 4.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
TULZAPURKAR, J.
This appeal by certificate is directed against the
judgment rendered by the Allahabad High Court on December 5, 1967
in Special Appeal No. 1068 of 1967 and raises a short question whether
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the appellant is entitled to the benefit of certain concessions (deductions)
in the minimum price notified by the Cane Commissioner in his order
issued on June 1, 1955 ?
The appellant (Shri Janki Sugar Mills & Company) is a partnership
firm carrying on the business of manufacturing sugar.
By an· order
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passed on November 1, 1954 under s. 15 of the Uttar Pradesh Sugar
Cane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase) Act 1953, the Cane Commissioner reserved certain sugarcane centres for the appelJant's sugar
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JANK! SUGAR MILLS v. COMMISSIONER (Tulzapurkar, J.) 7 81
factory. On November 12, 1954 (i.e. within 14 days of the reservation
of the sugarcane centres) the respondent No. 4 (Laskar Co-operative
Cane Development Union Ltd.) made an offer for the 1954-55 crushing
season for the supply of 6 lac maunds of sugarcane out of a total estimated yield of 12 lac maunds of sugarcane from certain centres. This
offer was accepted by the appellant-firm on November 27, 1954 (i.e.
within 14 days of the receipt of the offer) and an agreement in the
prescribed Form 'C' was dul¥ executed on February 9, 1955. It contained the usual term that the appellant-firm will pay for the sugarcane
supplied to it "at the minimum price notified by the Government subject to such deductions, if any, as may be notified by the Government
from time to time". On March 22, 1955 the respondent No. 4 made
another offer for supplying additional quantity of 2 lac maunds of sugarcane to the appellant-firm, which offer was also accepted on May 4,
1955 and a composite agreement in prescribed Form 'C' was entered
into on that very day for the supply of 8 lac maunds of sugarcane (inclusive of the initial 6 lac maunds) . This agreement also contained the
usual term with regard to the payment being made "at the minimum
price subject to such deductions as may be notified by the Government
from time to time''. By a Press Note dated May 23, 1955 the Government of India notified its decision that certain deductions in the minimum cane price, on the basis of recovery of sugar from sugarcane,
will be allowed to sugarcane factories in Uttar Pradesh on the cane
supplied to them on and after May 1, 1955 but that the deductions
will be allowed only on "unbonded cane" crushed by each factory and
not on "bonded cane", the latter of which shall have to be purchased
by each factory at the minimum cane price already fixed for the season.
In exercise of the powers under s. 3 of the Essential Commodities Act,
1955, (delegated to him by the Government of India under a Notification dated April 25, 1955), the Cane Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh
issued a Notification on June 1, 1955 whereunder "the producers of
sugar by vacuum pan process were allowed to make
deductions
as
specified in the Schedule thereto from the minimum price of per maund
of cane fixed for the season 1954-55 in respect of the.unbonded sugarcane crushed on and after May 1, 1955". The appellant-firm taking
advantage of this Notification granting concessions in the minimum
price, made payments to Respondent No. 4 after making deductions
in respect of the, two lac maunds of sugarcane supplied to it, in respect
whereof the offer had been made to it on March 22, 1955. However,
a Recovery Certificate nnder ss. 17 and 18 of Uttar Pradesh Sugar Cane
(Regulation of Supply and Purchase) Act, 1953 against the appellantfirm for a sum of Rs. 53,878/10/- being the amounts deducted by the
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1979] 2 S.C.R.
appellant-firm while making payments to Respondent No. 4. The appellant-firm disputed
the legality of the Recovery Certificate on the
ground that it had the right to make the deductions in view of the Cane
Commissioner's Notification dated June 1, 1955. The said dispute was
referred by the Cane Commissioner to the District Cane Officer, Bulandshahr as the sole arbitrator under Rule 108 of the U.P. Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply & Purchase) Rules, 1954.
By his award dated
May 30, 1962, the District Cane Officer held that the appellant-firm
had wrongly made the deductions in respect of the supply of two lac
maunds of sugarcane which was "bonded cane" and that the appellant-firm was liable to pay the minimum price therefor.
Aggrieved by the award the appellant-firm preferred an appeal to
the Divisional
Commissioner, Mecrut under Rule
118 of the said
Rules, but the appeal was dismissed on March 30, 1963. The appellant-firm challenged
the legality of the award of the
District Cane
Officer as also the appellate order of the Divisional Commissioner by
means of a writ Petition in the Allahabad High Court being Civil Miscellaneous Writ No. 2003 of 1963.
The learned Single Judge who
heard the writ petition dismissed the same by his judgment and order
dated October 24, 1967. A further Special Appeal No. 1068 of 1967
carried by the appellant-firm to the Division Bench of that Court also
proved unsuccessful on December 5, 1967.
The appellant-firm has
come up in appeal to this Court.
The only contention that was urged by counsel for the appellantfirm before us in this appeal was that the supply of two lac maunds
of sugarcane made by respondent No. 4 to the appellant-firm was not
bonded sugarcane at all and as such the appellant-firm was entitled
to the concessions (deductions) in the minimum price payable in respect thereof to respondent No. 4 in view of the Cane Conunissioner's
Notification dated June 1, 1955. In support of this contention counsel
relicd upon sub-els. (2) and (3) of cl. 3 of the U.P. Sugarcane Supply
and Purchase Order, 1956 issued under s. 16 of the Uttar Pradesh
Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply & Purchase) Act, 1953 and it was
pointed out that under sub-cl. ( 2) within 14 days of issue of the reserving certain areas for a factory a cane-grower or a Cane-growers'
Cooperative Society has to make an offer to supply cane grown in the
reserved area to the occupier of the factory and under sub-cl. (3) it
was obligatory upon the occupier, of the factory for which such area
has been reserved to accept the same within 14 days of the receipt of
the oITer and enter into an agreement in the prescribed form and it
was urged that unless such offer was made within 14 days as prescribed
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JANKI SUGAR MILLS v. COMMISSIONER (Tulzapurkar, J.) 783
by sub-cl. (2) and was accepted within 14 days as prescribed by subcl. (3) the supply of sugarcane thereunder could not be regarded as
supply of bonded-sugarcane.
Counsel pointed out that the offer of
two lac maunds of sugarcane in the instant case was made by respondent No. 4 long after the expiry of 14 days from the issuance of the
order reserving certain areas for the appellant firm's factory and that
offer had been accepted not within the limit prescribed in sub-cl. ( 3)
and, therefore, the sugarcane so supplied by respondent No. 4 to the
appellant-firm was not bonded sugarcane but ought to be classified as
'unbonded sugarcane' and as such the appellant-firm was entitled to the
concessions in the minimum price notified in the Cane Commissioner's
Notification dated June 1, 1955. It was further pointed out that
though under sub-cl. (4) of cl. 3 of the U.P. Sugarcane supply and
Purchase Order, 1954, the Cane Commissioner had the power to extend the date for making offers in respect of any reserved area, no
such extension had been granted by the Cane Commissioner in the
instant case, and, therefore, the offer of two lac maunds of sugarcane
which was made by respondent No. 4 on March 22, 1955, Jong after
the expiry of 14 days from the issuance of the order of the Cane
Commissioner on November 1, 1954 reserving certain
sugarcane
centres for the appellant's factory under s. 15 of the Act, could not
culminate into an agreement under the statute or the U.P. Sugarcane
Supply and Purchase Order, 1954, that the agreement entered into
betweeu the parties on May 4, 1955 in respect of the said supply must
be regarded as an ordinary contract under the Indian Contract Act
and that the sugarcane supplied under such ordinary contract must be
regarded as unbonded sugarcane.
In other words, the contention wa•
that only such sugarcane as would be supplied by a cane-grower or a
Cane-growers' Cooperative ~ociety under an agreement made in strict
compliance of sulrcls. (2) and (3) of cl. 3 of the U.P. Sugarcane
Supply and Purchase Order, 1954 could be regarded as bonded sugarcane.
The question raised in the appeal really turns upon what is meant
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by the expression "unbonded sugarcane" occurring in the Cane ComG
missioner's Notification dated June 1, 1955 and the true effect of
sub-els. (2) and (3) of cl. 3 of the U. P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order, 1954. It must be stated, however, that neither the
expression "bonded sugarcane" nor "unbonded sugarcane" has been
defined either in the statute or in the U. P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order 1954 and, therefore, regard must be had to the ordinary
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dictionary meaning of the said expressions. In Shorter Oxford English
Dictionary the legal and technical meaning of the expression "bor.d"
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS
(1979] 2 s.C.R.
i~ given as "a deed by which the Obliger binds himself,
his heirs,
executors, or assigns to pay a certain sum to the obligee".
In Stroud's
Judicial Dictionary (4th Edn.) the expression "bond" is
explained
as : "an obligation by deed". It will thus be clear that the expression
"bonded sugarcane" must mean sugarcane secured by a bond or deed.
Under the Notification of the Cane Commissioner dated June 1, 1955
certain deductions from the minimum price per maund of cane fixed
for the season 1954-55 had been notified in respect of the "unbonded
sugarcane" crushed on or after May 1, 1955. In other words,
the
concession is granted in respect of the supply of 'unbonded sugarcane'
in contradistinction with supply of 'bonded sugarcane'. There is
nothing in the Notification to suggest that any particular bond or a
bond in accordance with the provisions of the U.P. Sugarcane Supply
and Purchase Order 1954 was intended and therefore supply of 'bonded
sugarcane' would mean supply of sugarcane which has been secured
by a bond or an agreement and such supply will not be entitled to
the concession.
On a plain reading of the Notification in question,
therefore, it will appear clear that since the supply of two lac maunds
of sugarcane made by respondent No. 4 to the appellant-firm had been
secured by the agreement that was entered into between the parties
on May 4, 1955 the said supply will have to be regarded as supply
of "bonded sugarcane" and as such the appellant-firm was not entitled
to the concession in the minimum price payable in respect thereof to
respondent No. 4.
Considering the question in the context of sub-els. (2) and (3) of
cl.3 of the U.P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order 1954 also we
are clearly of the view that the appellant firm was not entitled to the
benefit of the Cane Commissioner's Notification dated June
1, 1955.
For this purpose it will be necessary to refer to s. 15 of the U.P.
Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase) Act, 1953 and set out
Cl. 3 of the U.P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order, 1954. Under
s.15(1) of the Act power has been conferred upon the Cane Commissioner after consulting the factory and the cane-grower/Canegrowers' Co-operative Society to (a) reserve any area
(hereinafter
called the reserved area) or, (b) assign any area (hereinafter called
an assigned area) for the purpose of the supply of sugarcane to a factory in accordance with the provisions of s.16 during one or more
crushing seasons as may be specified. It was under this
provision
that the Cane Commissioner has passed order dated November 1, 1954
reserving certain sugarcane centres (reserved area) for the appellantfirm for the 1954-55 season.
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JANK! SUGAR MILLS v. COMMISSIONER (Tulzapurkar, !.) 785
Clause 3 of the U.P. Sugarcane Supply and Purchase Order 1954
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runs thus:
"3. Purchase of cane in reserved areas.-(1) The occupier of a factory shall estimate or cause to be estimated by
the 31st day of October or such later date in a crushing
season as, on an application being made to the Cane Commissioner by the occupier of a factory, may be fixed by the
Cane Commissioner, the quantity of cane with each grower
enrolled in the Grower's Register and shall on demand submit the estimate to the Cane Commissioner and the Collector.
(2) A cane-grower or a Cane-growers' Co-operative
Society may within 14 days of the issue of an order reserving an area for a factory, offer in Form A of the Appendix,
to supply cane grown in the reserved area, to the occupier of
the factory.
( 3) The occupier of the factory for which an area has
been reserved, shall, within fourteen days of the receipt of
the offer enter into an agreement in Form B or Form C of
the Appendix, with the Cane-grower or the Canfl,.growers'
Cooperative Society, as the case may be, in respect of the
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cane offered:
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Provided that any purchase of cane made before the
execution of the prescribed agreement shall be deemed to
have been made in accordance with such agreement.
( 4) The Cane Commissioner may, for reasons to be reF
corded in writing, extend the date for making offers in respect of any reserved area.
On a fair reading of the sub-cls.(2) & (3) of cl. 3 of the Order two
or three things become at once clear. In the first place sub-cl. (2)
uses the expression 'may' and provides that a cane-grower or Canegrowers' Co-operative Society may within 14 days of the issue of an
order reserving an area for a factory make an offer to supp.ly the cane
grown in the reserved area to the factory.
That the period of
14
days mentioned in this sub-cla:Use. is not imperative or mandatory
is
also clear from sub-cl. ( 4) which confers power upon the Cane Commissioner to extend the date for making offer in respect of any reserved area. Secondly, sub-cl.(3) uses the expression 'shall'
indicating
that an imperative obligation is cast upon the factoy to accept the offer
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[ 1 979] 2 S.C.R.
within 14 days from the receipt of the offer.
Reading the two subclauses together, it becomes clear that if a cane-grower or Canegrowers' Cooperative Society makes an offer within 14 days mentioned
in sub-cl. (2) it is
obligatory upon the occupier of the factory
to
accept that offer within 14 days of the receipt of the offer, this only
means that if the offer is made by the cane-grower or Cane-growers'
Cooperative Society beyond the period specified in sub-cl. (2) or the
extended time under sub-cl. ( 4) it would n_ot be obligatory but optional
for the occupier of the factory to accept the said offer but if
such
offer made beyond the prescribed or extended period is accepted by
the occupier of the factory a binding agreement comes into existence
between the parties
and sugarcane supplied: thereunder would
be
'bonded sugarcane', more so when the agreement is entered into in the
prescribed form.
Merely because the offer from the cane-grower or
Cane-growers' Co-operative Society emanates after the expiry of the
period mentioned in sub-cl. (2) it does not mean that the parties are
prevented from entering into an agreement in the prescribed form and
if they do enter into an agreemnt in the prescribed form, as was the
case here, the sugarcane supplied thereunder would be 'bonded sugarcane'. It is not possible to accept the contention of learned counsel
for the appellant that sugarcane supplied by the cane-growers or Canegrowers' Cooperative Society could be regarded as
'bonded Sugar
Cane' only if offer of the Cane-grower or the Cane-Growers' Cooperative Society emanates within the period prescribed by sub-cl.(2)
and the same is accepted by the occupier within the period prescribed
by sub-cl. (3). As stated earlier, the true effect of sub-els. (2) and (3)
read together is that the compulsion or obligation to accept the offer
on the part of the occupier of the factory arises only when the offer is
made by the cane-grower or Cane-growers' Co-operative Society within the time prescribed by sub-cl. (2) or the extended time under subcl. ( 4) but if the offer is made after the expiry of that period it is
optional for the factory occupier to accept it or not but in cases where
he accepts such offer a binding agreement comes into existence, and
the sugarcane supplied thereunder becomes "bonded sugarcane".
In
the instant case the offer of additional quantity of two lac maunds of
sugarcane was undoubtedly made long after the expiry of the period
of sub-cl.(2) but the same was accepted by the appellant-firm and a
binding agreement came into existence and what is more that a binding
agreement was executed by the parties in the prescribed Form 'C'.
Further the conduct on the part of the appellant-firm in referring the
dispute to arbitration and filing an appeal
against the arbitrator's
award under the relevant Rules clearly shows that the parties, particularly the appellant-firm, treated the agreement dated May 4, 1955
•
,..
,
)(
'
•
I
d
l
JANK! SUGAR MILLS v. COMMISSIONER (Tu/zapurkar, !.) 7 87
as one under the Act and the U.P. Sugarcane and purchase Order,
A
1954.
We are, therefore, of the view that the authorities below were right
in coming to the conclusion that the said additional supply of two fac
maunds of sugarcane by respondent No.4 to the appellant-firm was
the supply of "bonded sugarcane" and, therefore, the appellant-firm
B
was not entitled to the benefit of the Cane Commissioner's Notification
dated June 1, 1955. In the result the appeal fails and is dismissed
with costs .
V.D.K.
Appeal dismissed.