Gauhati HC: IOCL to verify and revoke terminations of bulk LPG work orders where RC was uploaded as its 15.01.2026 note allowed; rest stand
The question: Whether termination of work orders for failure to submit the RC and amended PESO licence within four months of the LoA was valid.
Justice Kaushik Goswami of the Gauhati High Court partly allowed seven writ petitions under Article 226 challenging the termination orders of 11.05.2026 by which work orders for transportation of bulk LPG in Assam and Meghalaya were terminated by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). The Court held that termination was unsustainable for bidders who had uploaded the updated Registration Certificate (RC) of their Agreement to Sale (ATS) tank trucks, with the PESO amendment application or an expected completion date, by 21:00 hours on 15.01.2026, because the Corporation itself had carved out that relaxation in its final reminder e-mail of 15.01.2026 and the termination orders did not consider it. Bidders who did not upload the updated RC by that deadline got no relief. The petitions are WP(C) Nos. 2747/2026 (Gaman Sarkar), 2749/2026 (Ramkrishna Sutradhar), 2750/2026 (Balo Ram Kaibarta), 2751/2026 (M/s Pallab Saikia), 2753/2026 (Laxmi Transport), 2754/2026 (Juri Thakuria) and 2755/2026 (Suresh Rabha). All arise from NIT No. LPG/BULK/TT/IOC/AS/2025-30 dated 01.03.2025. Corrigendum No. 3 dated 04.04.2025 let a bidder offer tank trucks still running under the existing contract through an ATS, but required the RC transfer and amended PESO licence within four months of the Letter of Acceptance (LoA), failing which the trucks could be terminated, and said the timeline would not be extended under any circumstances. The petitioners were issued LoAs on 16.09.2025, so the period ended on 15.01.2026. Work orders followed and they began operating. Show-cause notices were issued on 05.03.2026 and the vehicles were suspended. After WP(C) No. 1526/2026 was disposed of on 27.04.2026 with a direction to decide their replies, IOCL terminated the work orders on 11.05.2026.