Chandan Kumar Ravat @ Chandan Kumar Raute v. The State of Bihar
Case brief
What is this about?
Keywords: Mid Day Meal Scheme; recovery / refund of excess amounts; District Programme Officer (MDM) recovery letter; attendance recorded exceeding number of children; Headmaster / In-charge Headmaster; Director, Mid Day Meal Scheme Bihar, Patna; personal hearing; reasoned order; six-month completion timeline; interim prohibition on recovery; writ petitions disposed. Relevance: Bihar MDM fund-recovery disputes against school heads; procedural 'hear-and-decide' directive model (administrative authority to personally hear both sides and issue reasoned final order); interim stay of recovery pending administrative final order; batch disposal of similarly situated writ petitions.
What did the court decide?
Writ petitions disposed of with directions to the Director, Mid Day Meal Scheme, Bihar, Patna to fix a date, give the petitioners and respondents personal hearing (virtual mode permitted) and pass a reasoned final order within six months; meanwhile, no recovery of the disputed amounts from the petitioners until the final order is passed.