Sharda Bai v. State of Chhattisgarh
Case brief
What is this about?
Rival claims by two women (petitioner Sharda Bai claiming first-wife status; respondent No. 5 Smt. Chandrama claiming to be the legally wedded wife) to the service dues payable on the death of employee late Pitambar Lal and to compassionate appointment; held not adjudicable in writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India owing to disputed questions of fact requiring appreciation of evidence; parties directed to the competent Civil Court with liberty to institute appropriate proceedings; petition disposed of without deciding merits and without expressing any opinion on merits. Court: High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur; Case: WPS No. 2367 of 2023; Bench: Amitendra Kishore Prasad, J. (single bench); Decided: 02.01.2026; Statute referenced: Article 226, Constitution of India; Themes: marital status dispute, legally wedded wife, service dues of deceased employee, compassionate appointment, maintainability of writ petition, relegation to Civil Court.