Gujarat High Court
Jigneshkumar Bhanubhai Patel vs Mona Khandhar, Ias on 3 October, 2025
Author: A.S. Supehia
Bench: A.S. Supehia
NEUTRAL CITATION
C/MCA/1914/2025 ORDER DATED: 03/10/2025
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IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
R/MISC. CIVIL APPLICATION (FOR CONTEMPT) NO. 1914 of 2025
In R/SPECIAL CIVIL APPLICATION/9113/2022
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JIGNESHKUMAR BHANUBHAI PATEL & ORS.
Versus
MONA KHANDHAR, IAS & ANR.
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Appearance:
MR VAIBHAV A VYAS(2896) for the Applicant(s) No.
1,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,2,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,3,30,31,32,
33,34,35,36,37,38,39,4,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,5,50,51,52,53,54,55,5
6,57,58,59,6,60,61,62,63,7,8,9
MR JAY TRIVEDI AGP for the Opponent(s) No. 1,2
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CORAM:HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE A.S. SUPEHIA
and
HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE L. S. PIRZADA
Date : 03/10/2025
ORAL ORDER
(PER : HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE A.S. SUPEHIA)
1. The Registry shall accept the vakalatnama of learned
advocate Ms.Archana Acharya for the respondent No.2 -
Sabarkantha District Panchayat.
2. At outset, the learned advocates appearing for the
respective parties have submitted that the present
application may be disposed of in terms of the order
dated 17.09.2025 passed in the similar group of matters
being Misc. Civil Application No.795 of 2022.
3. On the identical issue, this Court, on 17.09.2025, has
passed the following order:-
NEUTRAL CITATION
C/MCA/1914/2025 ORDER DATED: 03/10/2025
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"1) At the outset, learned advocates appearing for
respective parties as well as the learned
Additional Advocate General Ms.Manisha
Lavkumar has submitted that the Supreme Court
vide order dated 08.09.2025, has dismissed the
Special Leave Petition (Civil) Diary No.48874 of
2025 which has been filed by the State
Government. Thus, the judgment and order dated
23.04.2024 passed in Letters Patent Appeal
No.1325 of 2022 and the order dated 25.06.2025
in MCA No.27969 of 2024 stands confirmed.
Learned AAG on instructions of Mr.Gopalsinh
Yadav, Under Secretary, Panchayat Rural Housing
and Rural Development Department submitted
that the benefits as directed by this Court shall be
paid to all the applicants - original petitioners
within a period of 3 months. She has submitted
that there are at least more than 2800 employees
and an amount of Rs.1400 Crores is required to be
disbursed by way of benefits to all the applicants
in the entire State. The aforesaid time limit has
been vehemently opposed by the learned
advocates appearing for the applicant and
submitted that the 3 months time may not be
granted for extending the actual benefits since the
State Government has already undertaken an
exercise in this regard by calculating the amount
to be paid to the present applicant.
2) We appreciate the concern of the learned
advocates appearing for the applicants since they
are waiting for the actual benefits to be paid for
more than three and a half years. However, since
the SLP is dismissed by the Supreme Court on
08.09.2025 laying quietus to the entire
controversy, and looking to the fact that there are
more than 2800 employees and an amount of
Rs.1400 Crores is also involved, we accede to the
request of the learned Additional Advocate
General. We direct that the actual benefits to the
present applicants shall be paid within a period of
3 months. With this observations, we further
clarify that the limitation of 3 months for granting
the benefit shall apply to the petitioners who have
approached this Court and so far as the similarly
situated employees are concerned, who have not
approached this Court, the State may extend such
NEUTRAL CITATION
C/MCA/1914/2025 ORDER DATED: 03/10/2025
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benefits as per their convenience.
3) With this observations, we dispose of the
present applications. However, the liberty is
reserved in favour of the applicants to revive the
present applications by filing a simple note before
the Registry of this Court in case, the actual
benefits are not paid within a period of 3 months.
We, further, clarify that in case, the actual
benefits are not paid within a period of 3 months
and the applicants are constrained to revive the
applications, a personal cost of Rs.25,000/- shall
be imposed on the erring officers in each of the
applications."
4. Hence, the present application is disposed of in
terms of the aforesaid order.
(A. S. SUPEHIA, J)
(L. S. PIRZADA, J)
Hitesh / 55
