Deepak Tripathi v. State of U.P. Thru. Prin. Secy. Panchayat Raj Deptt. Lko. and 3 Others
Case brief
What is this about?
Special appeal dismissed by Division Bench (Rajan Roy and Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary, JJ.), Allahabad High Court Lucknow Bench, 10.03.2026. Officiating appointment as Gram Pradhan; post reserved for OBC category; appellant not an OBC member of Gram Panchayat; Section 12-J U.P. Panchayat Raj Act 1947; consultation with gram panchayat members; fresh appointment of officiating pradhan by District Magistrate/DPRO Sitapur; reliance on Udaivir v. State Election Commission of U.P. (2008) SCC Online All 2132, Pushpendra Kumar vs. State of U.P. (2010) SCC Online All 3140, Shyamu vs. State of U.P. & ors. (2010) SCC Online All 1250; appeal against Single Judge judgment in Writ-C No.107 of 2026 (Anil Kumar vs. State of U.P. & Ors.) dated 05.02.2026; Chapter VIII Rule 5 Allahabad High Court Rules 1952; deceased-Ori Lal; no error in impugned judgment.
What did the court decide?
Even for officiating purposes under Section 12-J of the U.P. Panchayat Raj Act, 1947, and even with consultation of the members of the gram panchayat, only a person of the OBC category could have been directed to officiate as Gram Pradhan, the post being reserved for OBC; no error was found in the learned Single Judge's judgment to that effect.