‘Encourage women in leadership’: SC orders reinstatement of women sarpanch in Chhattisgarh

The Supreme Court lashed out at the Chhattisgarh authorities and observed that a woman sarpanch was removed on “flimsy grounds” due to delay in completion of her work, underlining the need to set an example in promoting women empowerment in rural areas.

Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also termed it as a “colonial mentality” and ordered his reinstatement along with burdening the government with ₹1 lakh expenses due to unwanted litigation and harassment.

“The administrative authorities, with their colonial mentality, have unfortunately once again failed to recognize the fundamental distinction between an elected public representative and an elected public servant. Invariably, elected representatives, such as the appellant, are often treated as subordinates of bureaucrats who must comply with directives.” serves to encroach on their autonomy and obstruct their accountability,” read the panel’s strongly worded order issued on November 14.

The Board emphasized that administrative officials who are the guardians of de facto power and are sufficiently wealthy should strive to promote the empowerment and support of women by leading by example. women-He pioneered 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 high court also said that a “misunderstood and idiosyncratic supervisory power” was asserted with the intention of equating elected representatives with public officials holding civilian offices, completely disregarding the democratic legitimacy conferred by elections.

“We are deeply concerned that similar cases have repeatedly emerged in which administrative officials and village panchayat members colluded to wage vendettas against women sarpans. Such instances highlight a systemic issue of prejudice and discrimination,” the verdict said. The statements are underlined.

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.”

Sonam Lakra, 27, objected to her dismissal by authorities after being elected as sarpanch of Sajbahar panchayat In January 2020 in Jashpur District of the state.

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 ₹ 1 lakh to the sarpanch within four weeks and conduct 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 through false accusations of misconduct and, when these strategies failed, resorted to sabotaging development projects. This concerted campaign ultimately led to his unjust removal from office as the duly elected person.” sarpanch. “It is concerning that the appellant faces unrelenting obstacles at every step and receives little or no support in his efforts,” he noted.

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.

“It is obvious that construction projects require coordinated efforts of engineers, contractors, timely supply of materials and are subject to vagaries of weather conditions etc. To hold the sarpanch solely responsible for delays without any evidence of failure to allocate the work or deliver on performance is a duty inherent to his elected position.” “It is absolutely disgusting to do so. We believe that these proceedings have been initiated on a flimsy pretext to dismiss the appellant on false and indefensible grounds,” he said.

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

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