Suhas Chandra Sen, J. - (1.) This is yet another case where nobody has appeared to oppose the application on behalf of the State of the Divisional Forest Officers, Jalpaiguri Division and Buxa Division, inspite of several notices served upon the Respondents individually and the Government Pleader. The matter appeared for hearing on 31st January, 1986, 21st March 1986 and 2nd April, 1986. Nobody appeared to oppose the writ petition. On 21st March, 1986 an affidavit of service was filed. The petitioners were directed to serve notice once again upon the Government Pleader and to inform him that if nobody appeared to oppose this writ petition on the next hearing date, the matter would be disposed of ex-parte. This notice has also gone unheeded. When the matter was taken up for hearing on 2.4.1986, nobody appeared on behalf of the State. The case is, therefore, disposed of ex-parte.
(2.) It is difficult to fathom why so many applications are not opposed by the State inspite of repeated notices served upon the Respondents directly as well as upon the Government Pleader and Legal Remembrancer. Possibly the State officials want the applications to succeed. Whatever may be the motive behind this strategy, the result is that the hearing of the cases are unnecessarily delayed. It also imposed an extra burden on the Court assessing the merits of the case of the petitioners.
(3.) This writ petition has raised a short but interesting question of law. The petitioner No.1 is an Association of Veneer and Ply Wood Merchants carrying on their business in North Bengal. The members of the Association as well as the petitioner No.2 purchase soft and fire wood from local dealers and prepare veneer with the help of Peeling Machines. Very thin pieces of wood are prepared from wooden logs with the help of the Peeling Machines which are thereafter placed in Glue Spreader Machines for the purpose of pasting together three pieces of veneer to make plywood.;