The petitioner is engaged in the business of erecting advertisement hoardings and other allied activities. He has approached this Court in this Writ Petition, seeking a writ of certiorari to quash Exhibit P2 tender notification dated 21.7.2007 issued by the Southern Railway, the respondents herein, to allot sole right of advertisement in all Railway Stations under the Railway Division, Thiruvananthapuram. The further relief sought in the Writ Petition was for a direction to the 2nd respondent to issue fresh notification inviting tender for putting up advertisements in different Railway Stations or for cluster of Railway Stations not exceeding five, coming under the Railway Division, Thiruvananthapuram. 2. This Court by order dated 24.8.2007 granted interim stay of all further proceedings pursuant to Exhibit P2 notification. However, it was made clear that the said order shall not preclude the respondents from inviting tenders as was being done previously.
3. I have considered the contentions raised in the Writ W.P.(C).No.25977/07 -2-
Petition by the petitioner and also heard arguments of the learned Standing Counsel for Southern Railways.
4. By Exhibit P2 notification 21.7.2007, the right that was sought to be auctioned was the right to exhibit advertisements in the Railway Stations under Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division for a period of five years. The said five years' period prescribed in Exhibit P2 notification is already over. Therefore, nothing survives in this Writ Petition.
The Writ Petition is dismissed. No order as to costs.
dsn Sd/-
ANIL K.NARENDRAN, JUDGE