SC orders reinstatement of female sarpanch in Chhattisgarh – ThePrint – PTIFeed

New Delhi, Nov 28 (PTI) The Supreme Court has lashed out at Chhattisgarh authorities and observed that a woman sarpanch was removed on “flimsy grounds” for delay in its completion, underscoring the need to lead by example in promoting women empowerment in rural areas. work.

Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also termed it as a “colonial mentality” and ordered his reinstatement along with making the government bear the cost of Rs 1 lakh due to him for unwanted litigation and harassment.

The Board emphasized that administrative officials who are the custodians of de facto powers and sufficiently wealthy should lead by example and strive to promote women’s empowerment and support women-led initiatives in rural and remote areas.

“In this context, we need to emphasize that, as a country striving to become an economic power, it is regrettable that such events constantly occur and are normalized, bearing striking similarities even in geographically distant regions,” the Supreme Court said. in question.

The apex court further said that the “misunderstood and self-appointed supervisory power” was invoked with the intention of equating elected representatives with public servants holding civil offices, completely disregarding the democratic legitimacy conferred by election.

“We are deeply concerned about repeated incidents of administrative officials and village panchayat members conspiring to wage vendettas against women sarpanks. Such instances highlight a systemic problem of prejudice and discrimination,” he stressed.

The board called this “entrenched” bias “discouraging” while calling for “serious introspection and reform.”

“Worryingly, the removal of an elected female representative, especially in rural and remote areas, is often treated as a temporary matter, while ignoring the principles of natural justice and democratic processes is considered a long-established tradition,” the report said.

Sonam Lakra, 27, challenged her removal by the authorities after she was elected as the staunch member of Sajbahar Panchayat in the state’s Jashpur District in January 2020.

He said that instead of adopting reactionary attitudes that would deter women from elected positions, they should develop an environment that encourages their participation in management and leadership.

The bench directed the Chhattisgarh chief secretary to pay Rs 1 lakh to the sarpanch within four weeks and initiate an investigation against the guilty officials responsible for his “harassment”. The apex court allowed the state government to recover costs from erring officials in accordance with the principles of natural justice.

He said prima facie investigation into the course of the case revealed that gram panchayat members, joining hands with the administrative authorities, made a calculated effort to thwart his initiatives.

“These individuals sought to undermine his credibility with false accusations of misconduct, and when these strategies failed, they resorted to sabotaging development projects. This concerted campaign ultimately led to his unjust dismissal as the duly elected sarpanch. “It is concerning that the appellant faces unrelenting obstacles at every step and receives little or no support in his efforts,” he said.

What further muddied the already murky waters was the selective liability imposed on it for the alleged delay in completing the development works, the court said.

The decision stated that the decision was made even though the responsibility for the projects was shared among multiple stakeholders, including the sub-divisional officer, rural engineering services, assistant engineer, technical officer, CEO of the Janpad Panchayat and the executive body. agency.

“Construction projects require coordinated efforts of engineers, contractors, timely supply of materials and are subject to variations in weather conditions, etc. It is obvious that it is. Holding the sarpanch solely responsible for delays without any evidence of his failure to allocate work or deliver on a task specific to his chosen position is utterly disgusting. “We believe that these proceedings were initiated on a flimsy pretext to dismiss the appellant on unfounded and indefensible grounds,” it said.

The top court found it incomprehensible how the SDO (revenue administration) so “foolishly and hastily” issued the order dated January 18, 2024, to dismiss an elected representative.

While setting aside the apex court’s February 29 order dismissing its plea, the bench said the apex court has broad discretion to entertain the writ petition “especially in cases where the executive has blatantly and brazenly abused its power to undermine democratic values.” grass root level”. PTI MNL AMK

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint assumes no responsibility for its content.