Chhattisgarh High Court dismisses PIL alleging ₹415 crore paddy procurement losses as infructuous after new policy introduced

WPPIL No. 62 of 2021 and WPPIL No. 75 of 2022 concerned alleged large-scale financial irregularities, wastage, and manipulation of records in the procurement of paddy in Chhattisgarh during the marketing years 2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021.

The petitioners in WPPIL No. 75 of 2022 alleged losses involving approximately 3,067 metric tonnes valued at Rs. 5.38 crores, 43,656 metric tonnes valued at Rs. 79.54 crores, and 1,76,416 metric tonnes valued at Rs. 330.78 crores, respectively.

They sought production of procurement records, an independent enquiry, fixation of personal liability, criminal prosecution of responsible persons, and recovery of the alleged losses.

Since both petitions raised the same issue, the High Court clubbed them and treated WPPIL No. 75 of 2022 as the lead matter.

During the hearing, the petitioners submitted that a new Procurement Policy had been introduced and enforced by the State Government for subsequent years, rendering the petitions infructuous; the respondents did not dispute this submission.

Whether the subsequent introduction and enforcement of a new Procurement Policy rendered the grievances and reliefs sought in the petitions academic and incapable of effective adjudication.

Whether any effective or efficacious relief could still be granted in relation to the alleged irregularities in the earlier paddy-procurement years.

The Court applied the procedural doctrine that a proceeding may be dismissed as infructuous where subsequent events eliminate the surviving grievance or make the relief sought academic.

The Court further applied the principle that judicial relief must be effective and efficacious; where no meaningful relief can be granted because of a subsequent change in circumstances, the Court need not adjudicate an otherwise academic dispute.

No specific statutory provision or judicial precedent was relied upon in the order.

The Court noted that the petitions challenged alleged deficiencies in the earlier paddy-procurement framework and sought directions concerning procurement administration, accountability, enquiry, and recovery.

The subsequent implementation of a new Procurement Policy altered the governing framework for later procurement years.

As the petitioners themselves accepted that the new policy rendered the petitions infructuous, and the respondents did not contest that position, the Court concluded that the original grievance no longer survived for consideration and that the requested directions had become academic.

Consequently, there was no effective or efficacious relief that could be granted in the pending proceedings.

WPPIL No. 62 of 2021 and WPPIL No. 75 of 2022 were therefore dismissed as having become infructuous.