Facts
The 39 petitioners are employees (primarily teachers) serving in various Government Primary and Middle Schools within the Kondagaon District of Chhattisgarh
Source reference: p. 1–5They approached the High Court of Chhattisgarh under Article 226 of the Constitution seeking relief against the State’s Department of School Education and Department of Panchayat
Source reference: p. 5During the proceedings, counsel for both the petitioners and the State jointly submitted that the legal controversy presented in this petition had already been adjudicated by the Court in a prior batch of similar litigations
Source reference: para. 1Issues
1. Whether the legal issue involved in the present petition is res integra or if it is squarely covered by the precedent established in Rajendra Prasad Patel and Others v. State of Chhattisgarh and Others
Source reference: para. 12. Whether the petitioners are entitled to the same relief as granted in WPS No. 777 of 2021
Source reference: para. 2Law Applied
The Court applied the principle of judicial consistency and the doctrine of stare decisis.
Source reference: para. 1It specifically relied on its own prior judgment in Rajendra Prasad Patel and Others v. State of Chhattisgarh and Others (WPS No. 777 of 2021 and connected matters), decided on February 17, 2026
Source reference: para. 1This precedent addressed the identical subject matter, rendering the issue no longer res integra (an untouched matter)
Source reference: para. 1Reasoning
The Court’s reasoning was based on the consensus between the parties that the facts and legal questions in the current writ petition were identical to those in the Rajendra Prasad Patel case
Source reference: para. 1Rather than re-adjudicating the merits of the service-related claims, the Court observed that the controversy had reached finality through the aforementioned judgment
Source reference: para. 2By applying the same legal rationale used in the lead case (WPS No. 777 of 2021), the Court ensured uniformity in the application of law for similarly situated government employees
Source reference: para. 2–3Holding
The High Court held that the petition is squarely covered by the judgment rendered in Rajendra Prasad Patel and Others v. State of Chhattisgarh and Others
Accordingly, the Court disposed of the petition in terms of the order passed in the lead case, granting the petitioners the same relief or directions as specified in the 17.02.2026 order
Source reference: para. 3Original Court PDF
LAKHMURAM NETAMvsSTATE OF CHHATTISGARH
Click to open original judgment
Original judgment, available to read, download and summarize on LawLens.in