MANGAT SINGH AND OTHERS vs STATE OF PUNJAB AND OTHERS

231+104. IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CWP-3758-2024 (O&M) Date of decision: 25.05.2026 Mangat Singh and others .... Petitioners Versus State of Punjab and others .... Respondents CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE NAMIT KUMAR Present: Mr. Ranjit Singh Sidhu, Advocate, for the petitioners. Mr. Siddharth Sandhu, AAG, Punjab. ----- NAMIT KUMAR, J. (ORAL) CM-8663-CWP-2026 Application is allowed, as prayed for. Short reply filed by way of Affidavit of Uma Shankar Gupta, Director, Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, Punjab, on behalf of respondents No.1 and 2, is taken on record. CWP-3758-2024 1. The instant petition has been filed under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution of India for issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus for directing the respondents to merge the cadre of Panchayat Secretaries into the Village Development Organizers (VDO)/Gram Sewaks as both working within the same department i.e. Rural Development and Panchayat Department, and not to make fresh recruitments till that time. 2. Learned counsel for the parties are ad idem that vide notification dated 22.01.2026, issued by the Government of Punjab, Department of Rural Development and P