SATYAWAN ANANTA PADAWALE vs STATE OF MAHARASHTRATHR SEC. RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPT. AND ORS

Judgment text excerpt

12- WP- 5204-2025.doc Shabnoor IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 5204 OF 2025 Satyawan Ananta Padwale … Petitioner Digitally signed by SHABNOOR SHABNOOR AYUB AYUB PATHAN PATHAN Date: 2025.04.22 10:15:41 +0530 V/s. 1. State of Maharashtra Through its Secretary, Rural Development Department, Mantralaya, Mumbai – 400 032. 2. Collector, Palghar, Having its office at Palghar, Dist. Palghar 3. Pratik Prabhakar Patil Aged adult, resident of Bilawali Village, Tal. Wadas, Dist. Palghar … Respondents Mr. Chintamani K. Bhangoji a/w Ms. Lata Bhangoji for petitioner. Ms. Aloka A. Nadkarni, AGP for State for respondent Nos.1 and 2. Mr. Sandesh D. Patil a/w Prithviraj S. Gole and Mr. Yogesh D. Keny for respondent Nos.3. CORAM : AMIT BORKAR, J. DATED : APRIL 21, 2025 1 12- WP- 5204-2025.doc ORAL JUDGMENT.: 1. Rule. Rule is made returnable forthwith. 2. Challenge in the present petition is to the legality and validity of the order dated 27 March 2025 passed by the Collector, Palghar in a proceeding initiated under Section 7 of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act, 1959 (hereinafter referred to as “the 1959 Act”). By the said order, the Collector allowed the application filed by respondent No.3 and declared the petitioner – who was elected as Sarpanch of the Bilawali Gram Panchayat – disqualified to continue as Sarpanch on the ground of failure to conduct any meeting for a continuous period of 90 days during the financial year 2024–2025. 3. The factual background of the case is not much in dispute and can be briefly stated thus: the Gram Panchayat of village Bilawali, situated in Taluka Wada, District Palghar, is notified as a Scheduled Area under the Presidential Notification dated 2nd December 1986 issued under Article 244(1) rea