Authority: High Court of Meghalaya at Shillong

Order Date: 12 June 2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioner: Hills Cement Company Limited, a cement manufacturer incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, with its registered office in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. The petitioner is represented by its authorised signatory Shri Tejash Kumai Baid and counsel Mr. S. Khyriem.
  • Respondents: Union of India (represented by the Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry) and four officials: (1) Chairman, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT); (2) Chairman, EPCG Committee, Ministry of Commerce & Industry; (3) Foreign Trade Development Office, Guwahati; (4) Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Guwahati.
  • Nature of Petition: The petitioner filed Writ Petition (WP(C) No.356 of 2021) seeking judicial intervention against the respondents’ failure to dispose of two representations/applications dated 12 October 2020 and 2 April 2021, which sought relief for fulfilment of export obligations under the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme.
  • Allegations: Hills Cement alleged that the respondents had not acted on its applications, causing prejudice to its export commitments. The respondents argued that the delay was attributable to the COVID‑19 pandemic prevailing at the relevant times and to the pendency of the present writ petition itself.
  • Court Proceedings: The matter was heard orally before Hon’ble Mr. Justice B. Bhattacharjee. Dr. N. Mozika, Director‑General of Special Investigation (DSGI), appeared for the respondents, while Mr. S. Khyriem represented the petitioner.

Final Outcome

  • The Court disposed of the writ petition and issued a directive to the respondents, specifically respondent Nos. 2 (DGFT Chairman), 3 (EPCG Committee Chairman), and 4 (Foreign Trade Development Office, Guwahati), to dispose of the pending representations dated 12 October 2020 and 2 April 2021 within a period of three (3) months from the date of this order (12 June 2026).

Topics: Export Obligations, Judicial Direction