1 2025:CGHC:33100 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR WPS No. 7115 of 2025 1 - Dilawar Singh Sidar S/o Late Shri Mangal Singh Sidar Aged About 43 Years Presently Working As Post Of Driver (Contract Basis) At Office Of The Director Ayush Department, Indrawati Bhawan Raipur, District Raipur Chhattisgarh ... Petitioner(s) versus 1 - State of Chhattisgarh Through - The Secretary, Department Of Health And Family Welfare, Mantralaya Mahanadi Bhawan, Naya Raipur Chhattisgarh. 2 - The Director, Ayush Department Indravati Bhawan New Raipur, District - Raipur Chhattisgarh. ... Respondent(s) For Petitioner (s) : Shri Manoj Chouhan, Advocate. For State : Shri Anmol Sharma, Panel Lawyer. Hon’ble Shri Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, J Order on Board 15.07. 202 5 1. By the present petition, the petitioner is seeking a direction towards the respondent authority to regularize the services of the petitioner on the post of Driver pursuant to the circular dated 05-03-2008 from the date when the similarly situated persons have been regularized. 2. Case of the petitioners, in brief, is that the petitioners are presently working on the post of Driver in the respondent Department on contract basis and has completed more than a decade. The petitioner is having all the requisite qualifications for holding the post. The petitioner had submitted detailed representation to the respondent authorities for considering the case for regular appointment as he had already completed more than a decade. Digitally signed by INDRAJEET SAHU Date: 2025.07.16 11:41:43 +0530 2 3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the action on the part of the respondent authorities is illegal, arbitrary, discriminatory in nature and also violative of principles of natural justice and the Articles 14, 15 & 21 of the Constitution of India. The petitioner is working on contract basis since long. He would further submit that the State government has regularized the services of similarly situated employees on the basis of circular dated 05/03/2008, therefore, the petitioner is also entitled for regularization of services on the post of Driver. In support of his contention, learned counsel has relied on the judgment passed by this Court in the matter of Manoj Kumar Nirmalkar Vs. State of Chhattisgarh (WPS No.4293 of 2012, decided on 10.02.2023). 4. Par Contra, learned counsel for the respondents/State would oppose the contention of the counsel for the petitioner. 5. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the material available on record. 6. The Hon'ble Apex Court in the matter of Narendra Kumar Tiwari and Others Vs. The State of Jharkhand and Others (Civil Appeal Nos. 7423-7429 decided on 01.08.2018) held in para 11 as under: "11. Under the circumstances, we are of the view that the Regularization Rules must be given a pragmatic interpretation and the appellants, if they have completed 10 years of service on the date of promulgation of the Regularization Rules, ought to be given the benefit of the service rendered by them. If they have completed 10 years of service they should be regularized unless there is some valid objection to their regularization like misconduct etc." 7. Having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case and the principles of law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court, this petition is allowed. The respondent authorities are directed to inspect the records of other similarly situated employees when their services were regularized. If the case of the petitioner is also found to be similar to those employees whose services were regularized, the services of petitioner be also regularized from the same date. 3 It is also directed that all this exercise be completed within a period of 60 days from the date of receipt of copy of this order. Sd/- (Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) Judge inder