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2022 Supreme(Pat) 514

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
MOHIT KUMAR SHAH, J.
(6.9.2022)
CWJC No.10913 of 2018
Sharda Devi : Petitioner
Vs.
State of Bihar & Ors. : Respondents

Advocates Appeared:
For the Petitioner: Mr. Praveen Prabhakar.
For the Respondent: Mr. Raj Kishore Roy.

Headnote:

Constitution of India–Article 226–Alternative remedy–Rule of exhaustion of statutory remedies is a rule of policy, convenience and discretion–When a right is created by a statute, which itself prescribes remedy or procedure for enforcing right or liability, resort must be had to that particular statutory remedy before invoking discretionary remedy under Article 226 of Constitution of India. (Para 7)

Bihar Public Land Encroachment Act, 1956–Section 6(1)–Direction for removal of encroachment–Neither petitioner has challenged order passed by Circle Officer in encroachment case under Section 6(1) of Act, 1956 nor any appeal has been filed against said order–Petitioner has raised disputed questions of fact, which may, for their determination, require oral or documentary evidence to be taken–Such disputes cannot be considered appropriately by High Court under Article 226 and remedy of petitioner would lie elsewhere–Writ Petition dismissed. (Paras 5, 6 and 8)

Smt. Gunwant Kaur vs. Municipal Committee, Bhatinda, 1969 (3) SCC 769; Thansingh Nathmal vs. the Superintendent of Taxes, Dhubi, A.I.R. 1964 SC 1419; Punjab National Bank vs. Atmanand Singh, (2020) 6 SCC 256; Seth Chand Ratan vs. Pandit Durga Prasad (D) By Lrs., (2003) 5 SCC 399; Babubhai Muljibhai Patel vs. Nandlal Khodidas Barot, (1974) 2 SCC 706; Rajasthan SEB vs. Union of India, (2008) 5 SCC 632; Radha Krishan Industries vs. State of Himachal Pradesh, (2021) 6 SCC 771–Relied.

MOHIT KUMAR SHAH, J.:–The present writ petition has been filed for quashing the notice dated 03.04.2018, issued by the Circle Officer, Narkatiyaganj i.e. the respondent no. 6, whereby and whereunder the husband of the petitioner has been directed to remove the alleged encroachment made over the encroached road situated at Ward no. 23, Narkatiyaganj Nagar Parishad, West Champaran, Bettiah. It is also prayed to restrain the respondents from demolishing the construction erected by the petitioner on her private land.

2. The brief facts of the case according to the petitioner are that the petitioner is the owner of a piece of land situated at Tauzi no. 951, Khata no. 89, carved out of Plot no. 458, Ward no. 23, Narkatiyaganj Nagar Parishad, Narkatiyaganj, having a total area of 8 dhurs, which was purchased vide registered sale deed dated 04.02.1980, whereafter, the petitioner got her name mutated in the records of the Circle Office, Narkatiyaganj as well as in the records of the Nagar Parishad, Narkatiyaganj and then she had constructed her house over the said land in the year 1987 and left 03 feet wide land adjacent to her gate towards road for entrance and for enabling her four-wheeler vehicle to enter her house, apart from leaving 02 feet wide strip of land in front of her house for the purposes of construction of drain etc. It is the further case of the petitioner that suddenly her husband came to know that a notice dated 03.08.2011 has been issued by the authorities of the respondent-Board in connection with Encroachment case no. 16 of 2008-09, whereby he was asked to file his reply by 17.09.2011. The husband of the petitioner is stated to have inquired about the said notice, whereupon he came to know that the said case has been instituted wrongly in his name, whereafter an inquiry was held by the Circle Amin and it was found that encroachment has been made by one other person namely Kudeshwar Sharma. The husband of the petitioner had then appeared before the respondent no. 6 and filed his reply, nonetheless, he was served with the aforesaid impugned notice dated 03.04.2018, whereby and whereunder, in the garb of some order having been passed by the Hon’ble High Court, in a writ petition bearing C.W.J.C. no. 24310 of 2013, the husband of the petitioner has been directed to remove the encroachment in question by 19.04.2018, situated over Khata no. 89, Khesra no. 458.

3. The learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that as far as the aforesaid writ petition bearing C.W.J.C. no. 24310 of 2013 is concerned, a co-ordinate bench of this Court vide order dated 23.06.2017 had granted liberty to the petitioner of that case to file appropriate representation before the respondent no. 4, whereupon the respondent authorities were directed to implement the order dated 02.01.2012, passed in Encroachment case no. 16 of 2008-09, in accordance with the provisions of the Act, after giving due opportunity of being heard to the affected persons, in case the said order dated 02.01.2012 has not been either challenged or modified or quashed by any authority or court. It is further submitted by the learned Senior counsel for the petitioner that the petitioner has not made any encroachment and moreover, neither the petitioner nor her husband have ever been given any opportunity of hearing in compliance of the aforesaid order dated 23.06.2017, passed by a co-ordinate Bench of this Court in C.W.J.C. no. 24310 of 2013, prior to issuance of the aforesaid notice dated 03.04.2018, hence the said notice dated 03.04.2018 is fit to be quashed. It is also submitted that merely on the basis of some illegal report of Anchal Amin dated 05.05.2009, the respondent no. 6 has illegally found that the petitioner has made encroachments.

4. Per contra, the learned counsel for the respondent-State has submitted that upon a complaint being filed, alleging therein that the petitioner and her husband namely Bachcha Prasad have encroached the road situated towards the so

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