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2026:CGHC:15781-DB

NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR

WA No. 854 of 2025

Vanshika Shyamkunwar D/o Shri Santosh Kumar Shyamkunwar Aged About

19 Years R/o House No. 256/15, Ward No. 29, Podibahar Main Road, Distt.

Korba, Chhattisgarh, Pin Code 495677 ... Appellant

versus

1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through The Secretary, Department Of School Education, Government Of Chhattisgarh, Mahanadi Bhavan, Mantralaya, Atal

Nagar, Nawa Raipur, Chhattisgarh, Pin Code 492002

2 - The Secretary Chhattisgarh Board Of Secondary Education, Near Pension Bada Road, Vivekanand Nagar, Janta Colony, Distt. Raipur,

Chhattisgarh, Pin 492001

3 - The Registrar Chhattisgarh Board Of Secondary Education, Near Pension Bada Road, Vivekanand Nagar, Janta Colony, Distt. Raipur, Chhattisgarh, Pin

492001

4 - The Director Directorate Of Public Instructions, Government Of Chhattisgarh, Indrawati Bhavan, Sanchanalaya, Atal Nagar, Nawa Raipur,

Chhattisgarh, Pin 492002

5 - The Divisional Officer Chhattisgarh Board Of Secondary Education, Divisional Office, Gandhi Chowk, Distt. Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, Pin Code

495001 Digitally signed by VED ... Respondents VED PRAKASH

PRAKASH DEWANGAN DEWANGANDate:

2026.04.09

1 + 1 0 : 5 4 3 6 0 :52 (Cause title taken from Case Information System)

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For Appellant :

Mr. Pranav Saxena, Advocate

For Respondents/State :

Mr. Praveen Das, Additional A.G.

For Respondent No.3 :

Mr. Pankaj Agrawal, Advocate

Hon'ble Shr i Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice Hon'ble Shri R avindra Kumar Agrawal, Judge

Judgment on Board

Per Ramesh Sinha, C.J.

07/04/2026

1. This intra-court appeal has been preferred under Section 2 of the

Chhattisgarh High Court (Appeal to Division Bench) Act, 2006, calling in question the legality, validity and correctness of the order dated 02.09.2025 passed by the learned Single Judge in Writ Petition (C) No. 4476 of 2025, whereby the writ petition filed by the present appellant has been dismissed in limine on the ground of availability of an

alternative remedy, without entering into the merits of the case.

******* The appellant, a student, had approached the writ Court assailing the order dated 15.05.2025 passed by the Registrar, Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education, rejecting her application for correction/amendment of her mother’s name in the Class 10th mark-sheet from “Pratibha Shyamkunwar” to “Pratibha Bauddh”. The case of the appellant, in brief, is that her mother had adopted Buddhism and officially changed her name, which change is duly reflected in the Gazette of India and in the appellant’s subsequent

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educational records, including the Class 12th mark-sheet. Despite this, the respondent authorities declined to carry out the necessary amendment in the Class 10th mark-sheet, leading to inconsistency in

official records.

******* The learned Single Judge, however, declined to entertain the writ petition solely on the ground that the appellant has an alternative remedy of filing a civil suit for declaration, without examining whether such remedy is efficacious in the facts and circumstances of the case and without adverting to the merits of the controversy. Aggrieved by the

said order, the present writ appeal has been filed.

2. The facts of the case as emerges from the pleadings of the present

writ appeal are that, the appellant is a student who completed her Class 10th examination in the year 2022 and thereafter her Class 12th examination in the year 2024 from the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education. In the year 2023, the appellant’s mother formally adopted Buddhism and changed her name from “Pratibha Shyamkunwar” to “Pratibha Bauddh”, which change was duly notified in the Gazette of India. Consequently, in the appellant’s Class 12th mark-sheet, her mother’s name stands recorded as “Pratibha Bauddh”, whereas in the earlier records, including the Class 10th mark-sheet, her name continued to be reflected as “Pratibha Shyamkunwar”,

resulting in inconsistency in official educational documents.

******* Pursuant to a communica