In Brief
Nabin Kumar Sahu applied for an LPG distributorship under a government scheme in Village Laikera, Odisha. Though he held a permanent resident certificate for another village (due to ancestral properties), he was the de-facto resident and registered voter of Laikera. The High Court annulled his award on the ground he was not a permanent resident of Laikera. The Supreme Court allowed his appeal, holding that the residency requirement refers to de-facto ordinary residence at the advertised location, not formal permanent resident status. Since IOCL's own verification confirmed his residence and voting rights in Laikera, the award was valid.
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