Narayan Das Chelak v. State of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh HC4 May 2026WPS/3871/2026

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

Panchayat Sachiv regularization Chhattisgarh High Court; Panchayat Karmi appointed 1995 Zila Panchayat Raipur; committee notified vide memo dated 02.05.2022 after Chief Minister's declaration; legitimate expectation and promissory estoppel plea; direction to respondent authorities to decide grievance and pass orders within 90 days of receipt of copy; writ petition finally disposed of; single judge Parth Prateem Sahu; no statute or precedent cited.

What did the court decide?

Direction that the concerned respondent authorities decide the grievance of the petitioner by way of constitution of the committee and pass appropriate orders within 90 days from the date of receipt of copy of the order. ¶¶40

Narayan Das Chelak Vs State of Chhattisgarh — Chhattisgarh HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

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Issue for consideration

Whether the competent respondent authorities should be directed to decide the petitioner's grievance regarding regularization of Panchayat Sachivs by constituting the committee notified vide memo dated 02.05.2022 and passing appropriate orders in a time-bound manner. +1 more

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Court's answer

The concerned respondent authorities were directed to decide the grievance of the petitioner by way of constitution of the committee and to pass appropriate orders within a period of 90 days from the date of receipt of copy of the order.

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Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur (Single Bench), Parth Prateem Sahu, J., order dated 05/05/2026 in WPS No. 3871 of 2026 (neutral citation 2026:CGHC:20855). A Panchayat Sachiv (appointed in 1995 under Zila Panchayat, Raipur) filed a writ petition seeking time-bound directions that the committee, as notified vide memo dated 02.05.2022 pursuant to the Chief Minister's public declaration, be acted upon and that the State decide his grievance regarding regularization of Panchayat Sachivs as government employees, invoking legitimate expectation and promissory estoppel. Learned counsel for the State stated the respondents were actively considering the claim and undertook that the competent authorities shall pass necessary orders in accordance with law within 90 days. With consent of counsel the matter was heard and disposed of finally: the Court directed the concerned respondent authorities to decide the grievance of the petitioner by way of constitution of the committee and to pass appropriate orders within 90 days from the date of receipt of copy of the order. No statutory provision or judicial precedent was cited or relied upon; the plea of legitimate expectation/promissory estoppel was not independently adjudicated.

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RAVISHANKARMANDAVI Digitallysigned byRAVISHANKARMANDAVIDate:2026.05.1117:38:26+0530

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2026:CGHC:20855

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NAFR

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HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR

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WPS No. 3871 of 2026

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1 - Narayan Das Chelak S/o Nathuram Chelak Aged About 55 Years Presently Posted As Panchayat Sachiv, At Gram Panchayat Chadiya, Janpad Panchayat Tilda, Zila Panchayat Raipur, Distt. Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

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... Petitioner

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versus

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1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through The Secretary, Panchayat And Rural Development Department, Mantralaya, Nava Raipur, Distt. Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

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2 - Additional Chief Secretary Panchayat And Rural Development Department, Mantralaya, Nava Raipur, Distt. Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

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3 - Director Directorate Of Panchayat, Sector 19, North Block, Vikas Bhawan, Ground Floor, Nava Raipur, Atal Nagar, Distt. Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

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4 - Collector Raipur, Distt. Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

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5 - Chief Executive Officer Zila Panchayat Raipur, Distt. Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

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6 - Committee For Deciding The Grievance Of Panchayat Sachiv Through Its Chairman, Panchayat And Rural Development Department, Mantralaya, Nava Raipur, Distt. Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

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... Respondent(s)

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(Cause title is taken from CIS) For Petitioners : Mr. Rohit Sharma, Advocate

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For State/Respondents : Ms. Shakshi Bajpayee, Panel Lawyer.

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SB: Hon'ble Shri Parth Prateem Sahu, Judge

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Order on Board

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05/05/2026

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With the concent of the counsel for respective parties, the

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matter is heard and disposed of finally.

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Petitioner has filed this writ petition seeking following reliefs:-

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“ 10.1 To issue appropriate writ /order or direction and thereby direct the respondent authority/committee to submit its report to the state government in a time bound manner preferably within a period of two month.

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10.2 To issue appropriate writ /order or direction and thereby direct the respondent state to decide the grievance of the petitioners in a time bound manner.

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10.3 Grant any other relief(s)/ order(s)/ direction(s) in favour of petitioner, which may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case, including awarding of the cost to the petitioner.”

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Brief facts of the case, is that, the petitioner was appointed as Panchayat Karmi (Sachiv) in their respective Gram Panchayats under the territorial jurisdiction of Zila Panchayat, Raipur, during the year 1995, and he continue to function as employee of the respective Panchayat under the general control of the State Government. Considering the long-standing demand for

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regularization of Panchayat Sachivs into the State Government cadre, the respondent State of Chhattisgarh, as a matter of policy, has acknowledged this issue, and the Hon’ble Chief Minister publicly declared the constitution of a committee to examine the matter and to take appropriate steps in furtherance of the legitimate expectations of the petitioner and similarly placed persons. Pursuant to this declaration, the Secretariat of the Chief Minister issued a formal communication to the Chief Secretary as well as to the Secretary, Panchayat and Gramin Vikas Vibhag, directing them to act upon the declaration and to periodically update the Chief Minister’s office. However, despite the lapse of more than a year since the declaration and the subsequent official communication, no substantive action has been taken. The declaration of the Chief Minister and the consequent communication from the Secretariat have created a right of legitimate expectation and promissory estoppel in favour of the petitioner and others similarly situated, thereby necessitating timely compliance regarding constitution of the committee and further proceedings for regularization of Panchayat Sachivs as government employees. Although the Chief Minister, being the head of the State Government, has taken a conscious decision after considering the peculiar circumstances and long-pending demands of the petitioner, and the concerned authorities are duty-bound to act in accordance with the communications

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issued, the respondents have failed to take any concrete steps, thereby frustrating the legitimate expectation of the petitioner through an act contrary to law. The newspaper reports published online and downloaded by the petitioner, reflecting the Chief Minister’s declaration regarding the constitution of a committee and the direction for time-bound action, further substantiate their claim. Despite the issuance of the communication dated 02.05.2022 by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat for giving effect to the declaration, the respondents have not complied with the directions in letter and spirit, resulting in infringement of the petitioners’ right to legitimate expectation. As policies are required to operate within a reasonable time frame, the deliberate inaction in constituting the committee has jeopardized the rights of the petitioner and similarly placed persons, thereby warranting appropriate directions from this Hon’ble Court to uphold the principles of legitimate expectation and promissory estoppel. Hence, this writ petition has been filed.

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Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the present petition has been instituted seeking a limited but necessary direction to the competent authorities to consider and pass appropriate orders in accordance with the constitution of the committee, as notified vide memo dated 02.05.2022, and further to ensure that consequential orders are issued strictly on the basis of the recommendations made by the said

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committee, so that the petitioner’s lawful claim may be adjudicated in a just and timely manner.

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On the other hand, learned counsel for the State submits that the respondents are actively considering the claim as raised in the petition and, in this regard, they undertake that the competent authorities shall pass appropriate and necessary orders in accordance with law within a period of 90 days, thereby ensuring that the grievance raised in the present petition is duly examined and decided within the stipulated time frame.

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I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the material available on record.

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Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and further considering the fact that the concerned respondent authorities are directed to decide the grievance of the petitioner by way of constitution of the committee and to pass appropriate orders within a period of 90 days from the date of receipt of copy of this order.

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With the aforesaid observation and direction, this writ petition stands finally disposed of .

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Sd/-

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(Parth Prateem Sahu) Judge

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Ravi Mandavi

Narayan Das Chelak v. State of Chhattisgarh

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Narayan Das Chelak v. State of Chhattisgarh

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Why is it important?

What the court decided

Issues for consideration

Procedural history

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