In Brief
Zodiac Clothing Co. sought to overturn a penalty for under-utilization of its export quota. Over multiple rounds of litigation, the Apparel Export Promotion Council never clearly stated the ground for rejection until the final appellate stage, when it introduced a new unauthenticated claim that a quota certificate had been placed on the Notice Board. The Supreme Court held that the appellant was not fairly dealt with: authorities must inform appellants of all material grounds for penalty from the outset, not introduce new unsubstantiated facts at the appellate level. The Court set aside the High Court judgment and quashed the authorities' orders, directing refund of the invoked bank guarantee within four weeks."
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