1 2025:CGHC:18751 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR WPS No. 2779 of 2025 1 - Dinesh Pratap Singh S/o Late Shri R.D. Singh Aged About 63 Years R/o Patliputra Colony, Rajkishore Nagar, Bilaspur, District- Bilaspur (C.G.) ... Petitioner(s) versus 1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through- Secretary, Department Of Health And Family Welfare, Mahanadi Bhawan, Nawa Raipur, Atal Nagar, District Raipur (C.G.) 2 - Directorate Of Health Services, Through- Director, Directorate Of Health Services, Indravati Bhawan, Nawa Raipur, Atal Nagar, District Raipur (C.G.) 3 - Chief Medical And Health OfÏcer (Cmho) District - Gaurella-Pendra- Marwahi (C.G.) SHOAIB ANWAR Digitally signed by SHOAIB ANWAR Date: 2025.04.25 23:04:50 +0530 2 4 - Divisional Joint Director, Department Of Accounts And Pension, Bilaspur Division, Bilaspur, District Bilaspur (C.G.) ... Respondent(s) (Cause title taken from CIS) For Petitioner(s) : Shri Sudeep Agrawal, Advocate. For Respondent(s) : Shri Akhilesh Kumar, Govt. Advocate. Hon'ble Shri Bibhu Datta Guru , Judge Order on Board 25.04.2025 1. By the present writ petition, the petitioner, who is retired from the post of Head Clerk in the establishment of respondent Department questioning the recovery order dated 07.03.2025 (Annexure P/1) stating that excess payment was made to the petitioner for the period commencing 01.01.1986 to 23.02.2024. 2. Learned counsel appearing for the petitioner submits that the petitioner is a retired Class-III employee and the recovery letter which has been issued by the respondent authorities is contrary to the principles laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of State of Punjab V/s Rafiq Masih & Ors. reported in (2015) 4 SCC 334. 3. Learned counsel appearing for the State submits that when the excess payment was come to the knowledge of the respondent authorities, the recovery order has been passed and there is no illegality in issuance of the recovery letter. 3 4. I have heard learned counsel for the parties, perused the documents and the pleadings made by the petitioner as well as the law laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Rafiq Masih (supra). 5. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Rafiq Masih (supra) has issued guidelines which reads as under :- “10. In State of Punjab v. Rafiq Masih (Supra) this Court held that while it is not possible to postulate all situations of hardship where payments have mistakenly been made by an employer, in the following situations, a recovery by the employer would be impermissible in law: (i) Recovery from employees belonging to Class-III and Class-IV service (or Group 'C' and Group 'D' service). (ii) Recovery from retired employees, or employees who are due to retire within one year, of the order of recovery. (iii) Recovery from employees, when the excess payment has been made for a period in excess of five years, before the order of recovery is issued. (iv) Recovery in cases where an employee has wrongfully been required to discharge duties of a higher post, and has been paid accordingly, even though he should have rightfully been required to work against an inferior post. 4 (v) In any other case, where the Court arrives at the conclusion, that recovery if made from the employee, would be iniquitous or harsh or arbitrary to such an extent, as would far outweigh the equitable balance of the employer's right to recover. 11. The principle enunciated in Proposition (ii) above cannot apply to a situation such as in the present case. In the present case, the ofÏcer to whom the payment was made in the first instance was clearly placed on notice that any payment found to have been made in excess would be required to be refunded. The ofÏcer furnished an undertaking while opting for the revised pay scale. He is bound by the undertaking.” 6. It is not in dispute that the petitioner was holding Class-III post and the recovery order dated 07.03.2025 as stated above has been issued by the respondent authorities on the ground that excess payment has wrongly been made to the petitioner. 7. The principles laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Rafiq Masih (supra) is that the recovery from the Class- III employee is not permissible stating excess payment of salary. It is also not in dispute that the petitioner has not made any fraud to receive the excess salary. The same view has also been reiterated by the Supreme Court recently in the matter of Jogeshwar Sahoo & Ors. v. The District Judge, Cuttack & Others (decided in SLP (C) No. 5918/2024 on 04/04/2025). 5 8. In view of the facts and circumstances of the case and considering the decisions rendered by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the impugned recovery recovery order dated 07.03.2025 (Annexure P/1) taken against the petitioner by the respondent authorities is hereby quashed. 9. Accordingly, the present writ petition is allowed to the extent indicated above. Sd/- (Bibhu Datta Guru) Judge Shoaib