HC stays demotion of tribal dept officer, notice to govt

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh high court stayed the state govt's order demoting an officer of the Tribal Development Department, observing that the demotion was ordered without prior notice. While hearing the matter on January 15, the court issued notices to the state govt and other respondents and noted that the officer worked in the promoted post since 2022. The court granted interim relief and sought responses from the respondents pending further hearing.The petitioner was appointed as an assistant statistical officer in 2008. Based on her seniority, a departmental promotion committee (DPC) recommended her for promotion. Consequently, the Tribal and Scheduled Caste Development Department promoted her to the post of assistant research officer in December 2022.However, other research assistants in the department challenged her promotion and the DPC recommendations in court, while also submitting a collective representation to the department. Upon reviewing the representation, the department noted that a joint seniority list for the posts of assistant research officer, assistant planning officer, and assistant statistical officer was prepared in 2016 and 2020.A revised DPC meeting was held on December 11, 2025 to review the decisions of the earlier meeting from December 2022. The committee concluded that the petitioner should be demoted to her previous post of assistant statistical officer, citing a lack of vacancies in the cadre. The state govt subsequently issued the demotion order.Aggrieved by the decision, she filed a petition through advocates Mateen Siddiqui and Narendra Meher. The matter was heard by Justice P P Sahu. Counsel for the petitioner argued that Bhagat served regularly in her promoted post since December 2022. The counsel further contended that the demotion without prior notice violated the principles of natural justice.After hearing the arguments, the High Court stayed the execution of the demotion order dated December 31, 2025 and sought a response from the state govt and other respondents.