Archana Kumari @ Archana Singh Vs The State of Bihar — Patna HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

Archana Kumari @ Archana Singh Vs The State of Bihar — Patna HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Direction to the competent authority to decide the petitioner's representation dated 08.08.2025 (Annexure P/12) within six weeks, obliging it to give a personal hearing to the petitioner or her legal representative; petition disposed of on that basis without merits being adjudicated.

Issue for consideration

Whether the Accepted/Rejected provisional merit list dated 31.05.2025 prepared by the selection committee headed by the Additional Collector, Sheohar for the post of Assistant Cretch Worker pursuant to Advertisement No.04/2024, which placed the petitioner at Serial No.2 instead of Serial No.1 (as in the previous merit list dated 11.03.2024), should be quashed and the petitioner selected to the post. +1 more

Ratio / Principle

The competent authority is directed to decide the petitioner's representation dated 08.08.2025 (Annexure P/12).

Key takeaways

While passing order on the representation, the authority must give a personal hearing to the petitioner or her legal representative.ratio¶25
The exercise of deciding the representation must be completed within six weeks from the date of receipt/production of a copy of the order.ratio¶26
With the aforesaid direction, the present petition stands disposed of; the merits of the merit-list dispute were left to be decided by the competent authority on the representation.ratio

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

PATNA HIGH COURT | Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.8247 of 2026 | Decided 22-06-2026 | Ranjan Kumar Jha, J (single judge, oral order). Archana Kumari @ Archana Singh challenged the Accepted/Rejected provisional merit list dated 31.05.2025 prepared by the selection committee headed by the Additional Collector, Sheohar for the contractual post of Assistant Cretch Worker pursuant to Advertisement No.04/2024 at district level under the Chief Minister Women Power Scheme, in which she was placed at Serial No.2 'knowingly and deliberately', whereas the previous merit list dated 11.03.2024 had placed her at Serial No.1; she sought certiorari quashing the new list and retention at Serial No.1. Her representation dated 08.08.2025 (Annexure P/12) raising these grievances was pending before the competent authority. The Court did not adjudicate the merits of the ranking dispute; it directed the authority concerned to decide the representation dated 08.08.2025, obliged it to give a personal hearing to the petitioner or her legal representative while passing the order, fixed a six-week deadline from receipt/production of a copy of the order, and disposed of the petition accordingly. No statute and no precedent was cited in the order.

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.8247 of 2026

======================================================

Archana Kumari @ Archana Singh wife of Navin Kumar Singh, resident of Village- Govind Phulkahan, P.O.-Singar, P.S.- Kanti, District- Muzaffarpur.

... ... Petitioner/s

Versus

The State of Bihar through the Additional Chief Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Bihar, Patna.

The Managing Director Women and Child Development Corporation, Bihar, Patna.

The Divisional Commissioner, Tirhut Division, Muzaffarpur.

The District Magistrate-cum-Collector, Sheohar.

The District Planning Officer, Sheohar.

The Deputy Collector-cum-Assistant Director, Child Protection Unit, Sheohar.

The District Programme Officer I.C.D.S., Sheohar.

Ruby Kumari, Wife of Rajdeo Rai, resident of Village-Rupwara Panchayat Madhopur Chhota, P.O. and P.S.-Tariyani, District- Sheohar.

... ... Respondent/s

====================================================== Appearance : For the Petitioner/s : Mr.Sunil Kumar Pandey, Advocate For the Respondent/s : Mr. Sunil Kumar Mandal, SC-3 Ms. Bittu Kumari, AC to SC-3 ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE RANJAN KUMAR JHA ORAL ORDER

2 22-06-2026 Petitioner has prayed for the following relief(s):-

(i) To issue an appropriate order/s, direction/s including a writ preferably in the nature of CERTIORARI for quashing the Accepted/Rejected provisional merit list prepared on 31.05.2025 by the selection committee headed by the Additional Collector, Sheohar for selection to the post of Assistant Cretch Worker pursuant at Police Headquarter pursuant to Advertisement No.04/2024 to be filled up on contractual basis at District Level under Chief Minister Women Power Scheme in which name of the petitioner has been placed at Serial No.2 knowingly and deliberately.

(ii) To direct the concerned respondents to retain the position of petitioner at serial No.1 of the merit list in terms of previous merit list dated 11.03.2024 prepared for

Patna High Court CWJC No.8247 of 2026(2) dt.22-06-2026 2/2

the selection to the post of Assistant Cretch Worker pursuant to advertisement No.04/2024 and accordingly select the petitioner to the post in question.

(iii) To any other relief/s to which the petitioner may be found entitled in the facts and circumstances of the case.

The case of the petitioner is that he has filed a representation before the competent authority, raising certain grievances which are still pending before the authority.

This Court directs the authority concerned to decide the representation dated 08.08.2025 i.e. Annexure P/12 and it goes without saying that while passing order on the representation he shall be obliged to give a personal hearing either to the petitioner or legal representative.

This exercise must be completed within six weeks from the date of receipt/production of a copy of this order.

With aforesaid direction the present petition stands disposed of.

(Ranjan Kumar Jha, J)

rashmi/veena-

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