1 2026:CGHC:11983 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR WPS No. 5599 of 2021 1 - Sudhanshu Banerjee S/o Shri M.C. Choudhary, Aged About 56 Years Presently Working As Sub Engineer, In The Office Of Executive Engineer, P.W.D. Division No. 3, Raipur, R/o Qtr.No. J-2, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, New Purena, Raipur, District Raipur Chhattisgarh, District : Raipur, Chhattisgarh --- Petitioner(s) versus 1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through The Secretary, Public Works Department, Mantralaya, Atal Nagar, Naya Raipur, District Raipur Chhattisgarh, District : Raipur, Chhattisgarh 2 - Engineer In Chief, Public Works Department, North Block Sector-19, Nirman Bhawan, Atal Nagar, Nawa Raipur, District Raipur (Chhattisgarh), District : Raipur, Chhattisgarh 3 - Chief Engineer, Pubilc Works Department, Raipur, District Raipur (Chhattisgarh), District : Raipur, Chhattisgarh 4 - Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Division No. 3, Raipur, District Raipur Chhattisgarh, District : Raipur, Chhattisgarh --- Respondent(s) WPS No. 186 of 2022 1 - C. K. Sahu S/o Lalit Kumar Sahu Aged About 61 Years Presently Working As Sub Divisional Officer, P. W. D. Kharsiya, Sub Divison, Raigarh District Raigarh Chhattisgarh ---Petitioner(s) Versus 1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through The Secretary, Public Works Department, Mahanadi Bhawan, Mantralaya, Atal Nagar, Nawa Raipur District Raipur Chhattisgarh 2 - Engineer In Chief, Public Works Department, North Block Sector-19, Nirman Bhawan, Atal Nagar, Nawa Raipur District Raipur Chhattisgarh 3 - Chief Engineer, Public Works Department, Raipur District Raipur Chhattisgarh --- Respondent(s) HIFZURRAHMAN ANSARI Digitally signed by HIFZURRAHMAN ANSARI Date: 2026.03.16 12:13:08 +0530 2 WPS No. 6975 of 2021 1 - Bishambher Singh Bhadoria S/o Late Shri Atiraj Singh, Aged About 57 Years Presently Working As Sub Divisional Raigarh, Under Bilaspur P.W.D., N.H. Division, R/o Post Office Road, Civil Line, Near Kali Mandir, Kharsiya, District - Raigarh Chhattisgarh., District : Raigarh, Chhattisgarh ---Petitioner(s) Versus 1 - State Of Chhattisgarh, Through - The Secretary, Public Works Department, Mantralaya, Mahanadi Bhawan, Atal Nagar, Naya Raipur, District - Raipur Chhattisgarh., District : Raipur, Chhattisgarh 2 - Engineer In Chief, Public Works Department, North Block Sector-19, Nirman Bhawan, Atal Nagar Nawa Raipur, District - Raipur Chhattisgarh. 3 - Chief Engineer, Public Works Department, National Highways Zone, Raipur, District Raipur Chhattisgarh. 4 - Superintending Engineer, Public Works Department, N. H. Circle, Bilaspur District Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh., District : Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh 5 - Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, N.H. Division, Bilaspur District Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh., District : Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh --- Respondent(s) For Petitioner(s) : Mr. Kishore Narayan, Advocate For Respondent(s) : Mr. Rohitashwa Singh, Dy. GA Hon'ble Shri Justice Sachin Singh Rajput Order On Board 12.03.2026 1. As identical issues are involved in these writ petitions, they are being heard and decided by the common order. 2. For the sake of convenience, WPS No. 5599/2021 is taken as a lead case. 3. The petitioners have filed these petitions seeking the following relief(s):- “10.1 That, the Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to issue a writ of mandamus quashing impugned order dated 30.09.2019 (Annexure P/4), in the interest of justice. 10.2 That, the Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to issue a writ of mandamus directing 3 the respondents to consider the case of the petitioner afresh and grant the petitioner seniority from 16.02.1987, in the interest of justice. 10.3 That, the Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to issue a writ of mandamus directing the respondents to grant all consequential benefits flowing from prayer no. 2, in the interest of justice. 10.4 Any other relief which this Hon'ble Court may deem and proper in the present circumstances of the case.” 4. Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the identical issue involved in the present writ petitions has already been considered by this Court in WPS No. 958/2020, Prashant Kumar Sarkar & Ors. vs. State of Chhattisgarh & Ors. and other connected matters. This Court, vide order dated 24.02.2021,disposed of those writ petitions with certain observations. Paragraphs 9 and 10 of the said judgment are quoted hereinbelow. “9. Plain perusal of the impugned order would reveal that after referring to the facts of the individual petitioners and observing the directions given by this Court in the case of petitioners, they have jumped to the conclusion denying the claim of the petitioners only on the basis of order passed by this Court in the case of Purushottam Sahu i.e. WPS 836/2019 decided on 08.02.2019. This was not the mandate of the order passed by this Court. The said impugned order thus would not be sustainable and same deserves to be remitted back for a fresh consideration of the claims of each of the petitioners strictly considering the case of the respective petitioners in comparison to the case of Satish Kumar Mandloi and thereafter the Committee is expected to evaluate whether the status of the petitioners are in parity with the status of the S.K.Mandloi and why the petitioners should not be given the benefit that has been extended to Satish Kumar Mandloi. Accordingly, the impugned orders Annexure P-6 to P-64 in WPS 958/2020 and Annexure P-6 in Tha WPS 3601/2020 deserves to be and is accordingly hereby set aside and the matter stands remitted back to the respondents for a fresh decision to 4 be taken by the Committee in terms of the observations made in the preceding paragraphs by this Court. 10.Considering the fact that present is a second round of litigation, the Committee is expected to take a decision at the earliest preferably within a period of 90 days from the date of receipt of copy of this order.” Thus, learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the present writ petitions may also be disposed of in terms of the order passed by the Coordinate Bench of this Court in the case of Prashant Kumar Sarkar (supra). 5. Learned counsel appearing for the State does not dispute the aforesaid proposition and submits that the present writ petitions may also be disposed of in terms of the order passed in WPS No. 958/2020. 6. Heard the learned counsel for the parties and perused the record. 7. In view of the above, the present writ petitions are disposed of in terms of the order passed in Prashant Kumar Sarkar (supra), and the observations made in WPS No. 958/2020 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the present cases as well. 8. In light of the above, the impugned order Annexure P/4 is hereby set aside. Consequently, these writ petitions stand disposed of in the aforesaid terms. Sd/- (Sachin Singh Rajput) Judge H.Ansari