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Provided that if the conviction is set aside on appeal or otherwise, the suspension or revocation shall become void.

(8) An order of suspension or revocation under Sub-section (7) may also be made by an appellate Court or by the High Court when exercising its powers of revision.

(9) The Central Government may, by order in the official Gazette, suspend or revoke or direct any licensing authority to suspend or revoke all or any licences granted under this Act throughout India or any part thereof.

(i) the licensee asks for it, and

(ii) the licensing authority does not consider disclosure of such reason to be against public interest."

The Bench thereafter went on to conclude as follows : --

"The provision that the reason for revocation/suspension of an arms licence is to be recorded when the licensing authority makes the order and that a brief statement thereof is to be communicated only if the licensee demands it and that too only where the licensing authority does not consider disclosure of such reasons to be against public interest, makes the legislative intention that, if at all, the licensing authority is obliged to communicate to the licensee the grounds for revocation/suspension of the licence only after the order of revocation/suspension has been made, absolutely clean. This provision rules out any obligation on the part of the licensing authority to, before making such order, communicate the grounds for revoking or suspending the license, to the licensee. Accordingly, placing of any obligation on the licensing authority to notify the grounds of revoking or suspending the licence, to the licensee before the order for revocation or suspension of the license is made, would result in forcing the licensing authority to do something which the statute does not oblige it to do. Such compulsion flowing from any source whatsoever would not be in consonance with the provisions contained in Section 17 of the Act."

19. Inasmuch as the provisions concerning revocation/suspension of arms licence contained in the Arms Act specifically require that the reasons for such revocation/suspension are required to be supplied by the licensing authority after the order of revocation/suspension is made, the affected person can be in a position to make a representation setting forth his case and plead for setting aside the order revoking/suspending his arms licence only after the said order is made; and reading the audi alteram partem rule of natural justice in the Arms Act in consonance with the statutory provisions of Sections 17 and 18 of the Arms Act, it would follow that the action of revoking/suspending an arms licence would be valid and be in accordance with law if the licensing authority, after making the order, affords to the concerned person an opportunity of making a representation setting forth his case and plead for its setting aside.

22. In my opinion, the observations made in C.P. Sahu's case do not carry any such implication. What was intended to be laid down therein was that in view of the statutory provisions contained in the Arms Act the licensee could not, on the principles of natural justice, claim a right of hearing before the order of revocation or suspension of his arms licence was made and that it was open to him to have his grievances redressed by way of appeal wherein he was to get in accordance with principles of natural justice a full hearing to defend himself. The question whether in accordance with the principles of natural justice the party whose licence had been revoked/suspended was entitled to a post-decisional remedial hearing before the licensing authority and whether the question of principles of natural justice did not stand excluded to that extent was neither canvassed before, nor dealt with by the Full Bench. Accordingly, we are of opinion that nothing should be read in the Full Bench decision of this Court in C.P. Sahu's case which may imply that in cases of revocation/suspension of arms licence the licensee is not, on the principles of natural justice, entitled to post-decisional remedial hearing before the licensing authority itself. In such cases the licensee has at his option, two remedies, namely, one to apply for post-decisional remedial hearing to the licensing authority itself, and the other by going up in appeal against the order revoking/suspending his licence. It is open to the licensee to follow either of the two remedies or even to claim a post-decisional remedial hearing before the licensing authority followed by an appeal in accordance with the provisions of Section 18 of the Arms Act.