NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH, BILASPUR WPPIL No. 28 of 2024 In the matter of Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation Regarding Cattle Electrocution by falling 11,000kv wires and Electricity Personnel taking bribes form locals on News item published in Daily News Paper Navbharat, Bilaspur dated 11-04-2024.

---- Petitioner Versus

1. State of Chhattisgarh Through Chief Secretary, Department of Energy, Mahanadi Bhawan, Atal Nagar, Nawa Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

2. Chairman C.S.P.D.C.L., State of Chhattisgarh, Vidyut Sewa Bhawan, Dangniya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

3. Managing Director (Distribution) Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited, Vidyut Sewa Bhawan, Dangniya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

4. Director (Operation and Managing) Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited, Vidyut Sewa Bhawan, Dangniya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

5. The Collector, Bilaspur, District-Bilaspur (CG)

6. The Collector Balrampur, District- Balrampur- Ramanujganj, Chhattisgarh

7. Chief Executive Engineer, C.S.P.D.C.L. Bilaspur, District Bilaspur (CG)

8. Superintendent Engineer, C.S.P.D.C.L. Bilaspur, District Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh

9. Chief Executive Engineer, C.S.P.D.C.L. Balrampur, District Balrampur-Ramanujganj, Chhattisgarh

10. Superintendent Engineer, C.S.P.D.C.L. Balrampur, District Balrampur-

Ramanujganj, Chhattisgarh

11. Executive Engineer, C.S.P.D.C.L. Bilaspur, District Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh

12. Executive Engineer, C.S.P.D.C.L. Balrampur, District Balrampur-

Ramanujganj, Chhattisgarh

13. Junior Engineer, C.S.P.D.C.L., Pachpedi (Masturi), District Bilaspur Chhattisgarh

14. Junior Engineer, C.S.P.D.C.L. Ramchandrapur, District-Balrampur-

Ramanujganj, Chhattisgarh ---- Respondents (Cause-title taken from Case Information System)

____________________________________________________________

For State/Respondent : Mr. Sangharsh Pandey, Govt. Advocate Nos. 1, 5 & 6 For CSPDCL/Respondent : Mr. Prafull N. Bharat, Sr. Advocate assisted Nos. 2 to 4 & 7 to 14 by Mr. Mayank Chandrakar, Advocate Hon'ble Shri Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice Hon'ble Shri Sachin Singh Rajput , Judge

Order on Board

Per Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice

15 .04.2024

1. Heard Mr. Prafull Bharat, learned Senior Advocate assisted by Mr. Mayank Chandarkar, learned counsel appearing for respondents No.2 to 4 and 7 to 14 and Mr. Sangharsh Pandey, learned Government Advocate, appearing for respondents No.1, 5 and

6/State.

2. The present Public Interest Litigation has been taken suo moto cognizance by this Court through a news items under the heading “48 iaMks vkfnokfl;ksa ls yh ykbueSu us 14 gtkj ?kwl” and “11 gtkj dsoh rkj dh pisV esa vkdj pkj eosf’k;ksa dh ekSr” published in Navbharat Newspaper dated 11^th April, 2024 and the said PIL was taken up for hearing on 12.04.2024, on which date the following order was passed:

“The present Public Interest Litigation has been taken suo moto cognizance by this Court through a news item published in Navbharat Newspaper dated

11th April, 2024. The news item is as follows:-

“48 iaMks vkfnokfl;ksa ls yh ykbueSu us 14 gtkj ?kwl ”

“11 gtkj dsoh rkj dh pisV esa vkdj pkj eosf’k;ksa dh ekSr ” It has been published in Navbharat newspaper that in village Mahadevpur of Ramchandrapur Block of the District, in the name of replacement of transformer, the lineman extorted Rs.14400/- from 48 tribe Pando. Rs.300/- was taken from each tribe Pando. When the matter came to the knowledge of the Junior Engineer, CSPDCL, both the lineman of the Electricity Company namely Parmeshwar and Anil Yadav returned all the money, but no departmental action was taken against them. About 45 km. Away from Ramchandrapur headquarter, 320 families of Pando tribe live in Parkhutra locality of village Mahadevpur. The villagers in this locality were living in darkness for last 20 days due to burning of transformer.

Another news has been published that four cattle died due to falling of 11000 KV wire in Gram Panchayat Loharsi of the area. It is being told that a wire had already fallen in Basu’s field in Kanhar Khar, Loha