Khageswar Chutia and Anr v. The State of Assam and 6 Ors

PageoNo.#o1/5 GAHC010027472016 ooooooo ooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooTHEoGAUHATIoHIGHoCOURTo (HIGHoCOURToOFoASSAM,oNAGALAND,oMIZORAMoANDoARUNACHALoPRADESH)o CaseoNo.o:oPIL/71/2016o KHAGESWARoCHUTIAoandoANRo PRESIDENToOFoSINGIAoGAONoPANCHAYAT,oS/OoLT.oCHALAKAoCHUTIA,oR/O VILL.oNO.2oSINGIA,oP.O.oBATAMARI,oP.S.oDHAKUAKHANA,oPIN-787053,o DIST-oLAKHIMPUR,oASSAM 2:oBINAoTAO oPRESIDENToOFoHARHIoGAONoPANCHAYAT oD/OoLT.oINDRAoTAO oR/OoVILL.oNO.2oTHEKARAGURI oP.O.oGOBINDAPUR oP.S.oDHAKUAKHANA oPIN-787053 oDIST-oLAKHIMPUR oASSAo VERSUSo THEoSTATEoOFoASSAMoANDo6oORSo REP.oBYoTHEoCHIEFoSECY.,oGOVT.oOFoASSAM,oDISPUR,oGHY-6,oASSAM 2:THEoCOMMISSIONERoandoSECY.oTOoTHEoGOVT.oOFoASSAM oPANCHAYAToANDoR.oD.oDEPTT. oDISPUR oGHY-6 oASSAM 3:THEoCOMMISSIONERoandoSECY.oTOoTHEoGOVT.oOFoASSAM oHOMEoandoPOLITICALoDEPTT. oDISPUR oGHY-6 oASSAM 4:DY.oCOMMISSIONER oLAKHIMPUR PageoNo.#o2/5 oDIST-oLAKHIMPUR oASSAM 5:DY.oCOMMISSIONER oDHEMAJI oDIST-oDHEMAJI oASSAM 6:SUBoDIVISIONALoOFFICERoC oDHAKUAKHANA oDIST-oLAKHIMPUR oASSAM 7:PRADANoBARUAH oMLA o113oDHEMAJIoLAC oR/OoFLAToNO.B-5 oOLDoMLAoHOSTEL oDISPUR oGHY-6 8:SRIoLALIToGOGOI oS/OoGHANAoGOGOI oRESIDENToOFoGHARMARAoGAON oDHENUKHANA oP.O.oDHENUKHANA oP.S.-oGHILAMARA oSUB-DIVISIONoDHAKUAKHANA oDISTRICTo-oLAKHIMPUR oASSAM. 9:SRIoKUSHALoKONCH oS/OoSHRIoNARAYANoKONCH oRESIDENToOFoROHA oP.O.-oNEMUTENGANI oP.S.-oDHAKUAKHANA oSUB-DIVISION-oDHAKUAKHANA oDISTRICTo-oLAKHIMPUR oASSAM. 10:SRIoDIPTIoCHUTIA oS/OoGAGANoCHUTIA oRESIDENToOFoGANDHIA oN.C.oNO.1 oP.O.-oGANDHIAoTINIALI oP.S.-oGHILAMORA oSUB-DIVISION-DHAKUAKHANA oDISTRICTo-oLAKHIMPURoASSAM. Page No.# 3/5 11:SRI BRAJEN SAIKIA S/O KSHITESWAR SAIKIA RESIDENT OF KATHALGURI NEMUTENGANI NA-GAON P.S. DHAKUAKHANA SUB-DIVISION-DHAKUAKHANA DISTRICT - LAKHIMPUR ASSAM For the Petitioners : Mr. M.P. Sarma, Advocate. For the Respondents : Mr. S. Dutta, Standing Counsel, Panchayat and Rural Development Department.

Ms. M. Bhattacharjee, Additional Senior Government Advocate, Assam for respondent Nos.3 to 6.

Mr. J.I. Borbhuiya and Mr. S.K. Saikia, Advocates for respondent Nos.8 to 11.

– B E F O R E – HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MITALI THAKURIA

17.05.2023

The petitioners herein have filed the instant PIL petition questioning the impugned action/decision of the State in transferring 5 Gaon Panchayats including 'Hingia' and 'Harhi' Gaon Panchayat from the administrative control of Lakhimpur District to Dhemaji District. In order to fortify their challenge, the petitioners have placed on record, copy of the communication dated 13.07.2015, whereby a meeting was convened in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Lakhimpur to consider the transfer of the administrative control of 4 numbers of Gaon Panchayats and 6 numbers of Page No.# 4/5 villages of Uttar Dhakuakhana Gaon Panchayat to Dhemaji District. The present PIL petition came to be filed in the year 2016. Further proceedings pertaining to the proposed transfer of administrative control of Gaon Panchayats, namely, (i) Gandhia, (ii) Dhenukhana Batomari, (iii) Hingia, (iv) Harhi and also six villages of the Uttar Dhakuakhana Gaon Panchayat viz. (a) Chaiguri, (b) Bortangani, (c) Kukurajujuah, (d) Ghatopara, (e) Itakhuli and (f) Birajorachuk was stayed by this Court by order dated

16.10.2016. Manifestly thus, no final decision has been taken on this aspect till date. The petitioners' counsel drew the Court's attention to the provisions contained in Section 5(2) of the Assam Panchayat Act, 1994 and urged that any decision to transfer or change the boundaries of a Panchayat is required to be taken after consultation with the Gaon Panchayat concerned. He urges that as no consultation has been made before proposing the change in boundaries/transfer of administrative control, the impugned action is bad in the eyes of law. Learned Government Counsel, Mr. S. Dutta submits that as a period of more than 8(eight) years has lapsed from the date the exercise was initiated, it would be apposite if the matter is remanded to the concerned authorities to take a fresh objective decision regarding change of boundaries/administrative control of the Gaon Panchayats concerned keeping in view the facts and circumstances as on date after due consultation with all concerned parties in accordance with the provisions of Assam Panchayat Act, 1994. Accordingly, while striking down the impugned proposal, the instant PIL petition is disposed of requiring the competent authorities to undertake a fresh exercise for changing the administrative control of the Gaon Panchayats Page No.# 5/5 concerned (if so desired) after due adherence to the requirements of Section 5 of the Assam Panchayat Act, 1994. Needless to say that all concerned parties shall be consulted before such a decision is taken. No order as to costs.

JUDGE CHIEF

JUSTICE

Comparing Assistant