1 2026:CGHC:23507 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR WPC No. 2720 of 2026 1 - Kewla Singh S/o Nandlal Singh Aged About 36 Years R/o Ward No.08, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 2 - Janesh Singh S/o Birjhu Singh Aged About 43 Years R/o Ward No.08, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 3 - Teja Singh S/o Sukhdev Singh Aged About 36 Years R/o Ward No.08, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 4 - Manoj Kumar S/o Lundan Ram Aged About 45 Years R/o Ward No.09, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 5 - Charman S/o Buda Aged About 56 Years R/o Ward No.09, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 6 - Gulam Navi S/o Jayrat Khan Aged About 71 Years R/o Ward No.05, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 7 - Gulam Rasul S/o Jayrat Khan Aged About 61 Years R/o Ward No.09, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 8 - Kunwarsai S/o Sohan Aged About 66 Years R/o Ward No.17 magzin Dafai, Haldibadi, Chirmiri Tahsil- Chirmiri, District- Manendragarh- Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 9 - Peetambar Singh S/o Dhansay Aged About 48 Years R/o Ward No.08, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) AVINASH SHARMA Digitally signed by AVINASH SHARMA Date: 2026.05.29 16:58:02 +0530 2 10 - Ray Singh S/o Ramsay Aged About 68 Years R/o Ward No.09, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 11 - Narayan Singh S/o Thakur Singh Aged About 69 Years R/o Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 12 - Pratap Singh S/o Basant Singh Aged About 23 Years R/o Ward No.08, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 13 - Rakesh Kumar S/o Dhanuk Sai Aged About 28 Years R/o Ward No.09, Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 14 - Jagnarayan S/o Parsottam Aged About 51 Years R/o Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 15 - Jhingoli W/o Mahadev Verma @ Jirku Aged About 65 Years R/o Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 16 - Rajkumar Kujur S/o Keshram Kujur Aged About 53 Years R/o Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 17 - Hukumchandra S/o Sohan Aged About 52 Years R/o Village- Khairbana, Post- Kathautiya, Tahsil- Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 18 - Sudeep Kumar S/o Vijay Prasad Aged About 52 Years R/o Ward No. 04, Village- Sarbhoka, Tahsil- Patna, District- Koriya (C.G.) ... Petitioner(s) versus 1 - Union Of India Through The Secretary, Ministry Of Railways, Rail Bhawan, New Delhi. 2 - General Manager South East Central Railway (Secr), Bilaspur, District- Bilaspur (C.G.) 3 - Chief Administrative Officer (Construction) South East Central Railway (Secr), Bilaspur, District- Bilaspur (C.G.). 4 - Collector Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 5 - Additional Collector And Competent Authority (Land Acquisition) 3 Manendragarh, District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) 6 - Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) Manendragarh District- Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (C.G.) ... Respondent(s) For Petitioner(s) : Shri Ramsajiwan, Advocate. For Respondent Nos.1 to 3 : Shri Ramakant Mishra, DSGI through VC and Shri Rishabh Dev Singh, Advocates. For State/Respondent : Shri Shobhit Mishra, Dy GA. (Hon’ble Shri Justice Narendra Kumar Vyas) Order on Board 29/05/2026 1. By way of this Writ Petition, the petitioners are assailing the award dated 23.02.2026 (Annexure P/5) passed by the Additional Collector & Authorized Officer (Land Acquisition), District Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur C.G. 2. Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the petitioners are affected land owners of village Khairbana, District Manendragarh- Chirmiri-Bharatpur, CG. He submits that land of the petitioners were acquired by the respondent authorities for the purposes of Chirmiri Nagpur Halt New Line (17 km) Special Railway Project. He submits that the impugned award was passed by the Respondent No.5, however, appropriate compensation has not been provided to the petitioners. Hence this Petition. 3. Learned counsel for Respondent Nos.1 to 3 submits that the petitioners are having alternate and efficacious remedy to file an application under Section 20F sub-section (6) of the Railways Act, 1989 before an Arbitrator to be appointed by the Central Government, as such, this Writ Petition is not maintainable. 4 Learned counsel for Respondents Nos.1 to 3 submits that though an Arbitrator has not been appointed as of now, but they have already requested Collector, District Manendragarh Chirmiri Bharatapur for appointment of an Arbitrator vide its memo dated 22.05.2026. 4. Since the petitioners have alternate and efficacious remedy available to them under Section 20F sub-section (6) of the Railways Act, 1989 to approach before an Arbitrator and considering the submission of counsel for respondent-Union of India that the process of appointment of an Arbitrator has already been initiated, the present Writ Petition, at this juncture, is not maintainable and it is accordingly disposed of granting liberty in favour of the petitioners to approach the Arbitrator within 45 days from the date of appointment of the Arbitrator and in the eventuality of filing an application for enhancement of compensation on being dissatisfied with the quantum of the compensation, the learned Arbitrator shall decide the said application of the petitioners in accordance with law. 5. With this observation/direction, this Writ Petition is disposed of. Sd/- (Narendra Kumar Vyas) JUDGE Avinash