HIGH COURT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR AND LADAKH AT JAMMU WP(C) No. 653/2026 CM Nos. 1493/2026 & 1494/2026 Inhabitants of Village Southa Through Girdhari Lal S/O Hari Chand R/O Village Southa, Malhoti, Tehsil Bhalla District Doda. …..Appellant(s)/Petitioner(s) Through: Mr. Anoop Parihar Adv. 1. UT of J&K through Commissioner Secretary Rural Development Department, Jammu. 2. Director, Rural Development Department, Jammu 3. District Development Commissioner, Doda 4. Executive Engineer, REW Doda. 5. Block Development Officer, Bhalla. 6. Tehsildar Bhalla 7. Bilal Ahmed Malik S/O Ghulam Nabi Malik R/O Danda Kellar Tehsil Bhalla, District Doda. .…. Respondent(s) Through: CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE M A CHOWDHARY, JUDGE ORDER (12.03.2026) 1. The petitioner, through the medium of this petition seeks direction to the respondents to construct Panchayat Ghar at village Southa of Panchayat Southa, Tehsil Bhalla District Doda as per Tender Reference No. e-NIT No. 156 of REW Doda 2025-26 dated 26.12.2025, alleging that the construction of the Panchayat Ghar has been undertaken at village Bhatoli which is not a centrally located place for the Panchayat and inhabitants of the Panchayat will have inconvenience to access the Panchayat Ghar. Serial No. 113 2 WP(C) No. 653/2026 2. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the inhabitants had submitted a representation to District Development Commissioner, Doda on 06.03.2026 which has not been considered so far. 3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner shall be satisfied in case the petition is disposed of at this stage with a direction to District Development Commissioner, Doda to consider the representation with regard to the location of the Panchayat Ghar to be constructed for Panchayat Southa at a central place. 4. In view of the submissions urged at the bar, the petition is disposed of with a direction to the District Development Commissioner, Doda to consider the representation made by the inhabitants in consultation with the functionaries of the Rural Development Department and take a decision thereon within a period of one month and till then, status quo with regard to construction shall be maintained. 5. Disposed of along with connected application(s). (M A CHOWDHARY) JUDGE Jammu 12.03.2026 Tarun/PS Tarun Kumar Gupta 2026.03.12 17:31 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document