Authority: High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur

Order Date: 22.06.2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioner: Shivendra Singh, son of Late Shri N.K. Rai, proprietor of Pratik Agro Industries (rice mill), allocated 29,490 quintals of paddy from the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
  • Obligation: Under the allocation, the petitioner was required to return 19,955.883 quintals of Custom Milled Rice (CMR) to the Chhattisgarh State Market Federation Maryadit (Mark. Fed.).
  • Respondents:

1. Mr. Ramesh Kumar Sharma, Managing Director, Chhattisgarh State Market Federation Maryadit, Atal Nagar, Naya Raipur.

2. Dr. Sarveshwar Narendra Bhure, Collector (Food Department), Rajnandgaon District.

3. Mr. Lokesh Brahmabhatt, Deputy General Manager (Procurement), Food Corporation of India, Regional Office, Raipur.

  • Background of Dispute: The petitioner deposited the required CMR with the Mark. Fed., but 3,155.107 quintals of rice remained with him. The Mark. Fed. declined to accept this residual quantity. Consequently, the petitioner filed WPC No. 2373 of 2025, and the Court on 08.05.2025 ordered the Mark. Fed. to permit the petitioner to deposit the 3,155.107 quintals of CMR by 30.04.2025, subject to verification of quantity and quality.
  • Correspondence: A letter dated 26.03.2025 (quoted in Hindi) was incorporated into the order of WPC No. 2373 of 2025, indicating verification findings and a shortfall in the paddy stock.
  • Findings of Respondents: After physical verification, the respondents reported a shortage of 4,501.20 quintals of paddy. Accordingly, they did not accept the CMR corresponding to the shortfall, consistent with the order dated 26.03.2025 issued by the State Government.
  • Court’s Reasoning: The Court held that the respondents could not overlook or ignore the 26.03.2025 correspondence, which formed part of the earlier order. Their physical verification and consequent refusal to accept the CMR linked to the shortage were in compliance with the order. Hence, no disobedience of the order dated 08.05.2025 was established.

Final Outcome

  • The contempt proceeding is dropped.
  • The notice issued to the respondents is discharged.

Topics: Contempt Petition, Rice Procurement Dispute, Legal Compliance