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2026:JHHC:2367

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI

W.P.(S) No. 120 of 2024

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Kirtan Rajwar, aged about 30 years, Son of Ashu Rajwar, Resident of

Village-Tupra, P.O. & P.S.-Pindrajora, District-Bokaro.

....Petitioner(s).

Versus

1. The State of Jharkhand through Secretary of Rural Development

Department Panchayati Raj, Nepal House, P.O. P.S.-Doranda,

District-Ranchi.

2. The Director, Panchayati Raj Department, Nepal House, P.O. &

P.S.-Doranda, District-Ranchi.

3. The Deputy Collector, Bokaro, P.O. & P.S.-Bokaro, District-Bokaro.

4. The, Deputy Development Commissioner, Bokaro, P.O. & P.S.-

Bokaro, District-Bokaro.

5. The District Panchayati Raj Officer, Bokaro, P.O. & P.S.-Bokaro,

District-Bokaro.

6. The Block Development Officer, Petarwar, P.O. & P.S.-Peterwar,

Bokaro. …Respondent(s).

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CORAM : SRI ANANDA SEN, J.

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For the Petitioner(s) : Mr. Rakesh Kumar, Advocate

For the State : Mr. Suraj Prakash, AC to SC-VII

…......

08/ 29.01.2026: By way of filing this writ petition, the petitioner has sought for

the following reliefs:-

a) For set aside the Memo No.211 order 29.03.2023 (Annexure- 4)

whereby the Respondent No.3 has refused to extend the

contractual employment the petitioner on the post of Block

Co-ordinator.

b) For a direction to the respondents to take him back in employment

on contractual basis by renewing the contract on the post of Block

Co-ordinator.

2. The petitioner was appointed as a Block Coordinator on

contractual basis on November 2017 and posted at Peterwar Block. His

contract was initially for one year and was renewed regularly from 2017

onwards. The last renewal was from 27.11.2021 to 27.11.2022. After that,

his services were not renewed as a punishment, for some alleged

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misconduct. The petitioner also wrote a representation to the concerned

authority on 28.04.2023, but no action was taken.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that respondents have

not renewed the contract of the petitioner based on false allegations. He

further submits that the non-renewal of petitioner’s contract was

vindictive and unfair. He also submits that no inquiry was conducted,

and the petitioner was not given any opportunity to explain or defend

himself, even though the provision of appointment rules requires fair

procedure before taking disciplinary action.

4. The learned counsel for respondents submits that the petitioner

was appointed as a Block Coordinator on a one-year contract, subject to

the condition that his work must be satisfactory, as clearly mentioned in

his appointment letter dated 27.11.2017. He submits that the petitioner’s

work was not found to be satisfactory, thus, after considering the

government circular and the report, the authority decided not to renew

the petitioner’s contract.

5. After hearing both the parties and upon perusal of the records, I

find that the appointment letter clearly stipulates that the continuation or

renewal of the contract was subject to the petitioner’s satisfactory

performance. A contractual employee does not have any vested or

indefeasible right to seek renewal of the contract after expiry of its term.

Non-renewal of a contract, after its expiry, does not amount to

termination or punitive action, particularly when the terms of

appointment expressly reserve discretion with the employer regarding

renewal.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court in “Central Electricity Supply Utility

of Odisha v. Dhobei Sahoo” reported in (2014) 1 SCC 161 in paragraph

49 has held as under-

49. From the factual depiction it is seen that though the policy and the

Scheme provide that the age of the candidate shall not exceed 55 years as on

1-9-2007, yet the tenure is extendable thereafter depending upon the

performance. We have referred to the same only for the purpose that though

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there is a maximum age-limit at the time of submission of an application, yet

the term can be extended. It may be apposite to note here that even if the

maximum age-limit is provided for submission of application and the period

o