2026:CGHC:12179 AFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR WPS No. 3041 of 2023 Ramayan Prasad Sharma S/o R S Sharma, Aged About 46 Years, R/o Manendragarh, District : Koriya (Baikunthpur), Chhattisgarh ... Petitioner(s)

versus

1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through Principal Secretary, Department Of Forest and Climate Change, Mantralaya, Mahanadi Bhawan, Nava Raipur, Atal Nagar, District : Raipur, Chhattisgarh 2 - Office of Principal Conservator Of Forest, Aranya Bhawan, Sector - 19, North Block, Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, District : Raipur, Chhattisgarh 3 - Chief Conservator of Forest, Circle Sarguja, District Sarguja Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh.

... Respondent(s)

(Cause Title downloaded from CIS Periphery)

For Petitioner(s) : Mr. Pankaj Singh, Advocate For Respondent(s) : Mr. Dilman Rati Minj, Dy. AG and Mr.

Sangharsh Pandey, Government Advocate Digitaly signed SHYNAb D y N S : H cn Y = N S A H A Y J N A A Y AJAY A o= JA P Y E , RSONAL, st=Chhattisgarh, c=IN SB: Hon’ble Mr. Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad

Order on Board

13/03/2026

1. By way of this petition, the petitioner challenges the promotion order dated 8.2.2022 (Annexure P/1), whereby several Foresters were promoted to the post of Deputy Ranger, while the petitioner was excluded. The petitioner further seeks to quash the communication/letter dated 31.5.2022 (Annexure P/2), under which his promotion was denied on two grounds : (i) pendency of a criminal case and the related bail proceeding and (ii) on adverse entry in the ACR for the year 2019.

2. The petitioner has prayed for the following reliefs in the petition :

a. This Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to direct the Respondent State, particularly Respondent No. 3/CCF, to grant promotion to Petitioner to the next higher post of Deputy Ranger w.e.f. 08.02.2022 with all consequential benefits, monetary and otherwise;

b. This Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to quash the communication/letter dated 31.05.2022, issued by the Respondent No.

3/CCF;

c. This Hon'ble Court may also, be pleased to pass any other order in favor of Petitioner as it may deem fit and proper under the facts and circumstances of the case with cost.

3. Brief facts of the case are that the petitioner has been working on the post of Forester since 12.4.2013. the petitioner attained eligibility for promotion to the post of Deputy Ranger upon completion of five years of service i.e. on 12.4.2018, in accordance with the Chhattisgarh Class III (Non Ministerial) Forest Service Rules, 2012, . The promotion from Forester to Deputy Ranger is governed by the principle of ‘seniority-cum- fitness’ subject to the completion of requisite training. The petitioner completed the prescribed training in 2015, thereby fulfilling all criteria for promotion as on the eligibility date. The grievance of the Petitioner arose when he was denied promotion to the post of Deputy Ranger, despite being eligible for the same. This denial is reflected in the impugned promotion order dated 08.02.2022. Aggrieved by the denial of promotion, the petitioner approached the concerned Respondent i.e. Chief Conservator of Forests, Circle Sarguja, District Sarguja Ambikapur to redress his grievance by filing a representation dated 15.02.2022. When the said representation was not decided, he moved another representation dated 21.4.2022. Subsequently, by the communication/letter dated 31.5.2022, it was revealed that the petitioner has been denied promotion on two grounds : first pendency of the bail application (MCRC No.3215/2021) and second, an adverse entry made in the ACR for the year 2019.

Hence, this Petition.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) for the year 2019, adverse entry of which formed the basis for denying the petitioner’s promotion, was in fact supplied to the petitioner only on 27.5.2022 i.e. much after the issuance of the promotion order dated 08.02.2022. . After receipt of the aforesaid ACR, the petitioner preferred representation dated 1.6.2022