Authority: High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur

Order Date: 22 June 2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioners: Five individual depositors – Ram Murti Naidu, Bhudeo Prasad, Manorama Devi, Soly, and Anita Barman – residents of Churcha, District Korea, Chhattisgarh, who had deposited money with Sahara Group Cooperative Society Limited through its local offices in District Anuppur and District Korea‑Baikunthpur.
  • Respondents: Union of India (through Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare) and multiple offices of Sahara India (Territory Head, Deputy Managing Director, Managing Director, Zonal Chief, and branch offices in Bijuri Colliery, Annuppur (M.P.) and Baikunthpur (C.G.)).
  • Nature of Petition: The depositors filed a writ petition seeking a direction for the respondents to pay the matured amounts along with interest and compensation, alleging that despite legal notices, the matured amounts were not returned after the stipulated maturity period.
  • Background: The petitioners relied on deposit slips/receipts issued by Sahara Group Cooperative Society Limited. The Supreme Court, in WPC No.191/2022 (Pinak Pani Mohanty vs Union of India & ors), observed that Rs 23,937 crore (later clarified as Rs 24,979.67 crore) lies in the Sahara‑SEBI Refund Account. An interim application sought transfer of Rs 5,000 crore to the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) for disbursement to genuine depositors.
  • Supreme Court Directions (as quoted in the order):

1. Transfer Rs 5,000 crore from the Sahara‑SEBI Refund Account to the CRCS for transparent disbursement to legitimate depositors upon proof of deposit and claim.

2. Supervise the disbursement by Justice R. Subhash Reddy (former Supreme Court Judge) with assistance of Amicus Curiae Shri Gaurav Agarwal.

3. Honorarium: Rs 15 lakhs per month to Justice R. Subhash Reddy and Rs 5 lakhs per month to Shri Gaurav Agarwal.

4. Complete payment to genuine depositors within nine months from the order date; any remaining amount to be returned to the Sahara‑SEBI Refund Account.

  • Implementation Steps: The Union of India launched the “Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) – Sahara Refund Portal” on 18 July 2023 on the Ministry of Cooperation website. Depositors who had deposited Rs 10,000 or more are required to register on this portal for refund processing.

Final Outcome

  • The High Court observed that the Supreme Court has already issued comprehensive directions benefiting all Sahara depositors and is supervising the disbursement process.
  • Consequently, the Court held that no further order could be issued by the High Court and that continuing the writ petition would not serve any fruitful purpose.
  • The writ petition is disposed of, with the liberty reserved for the petitioners to approach the Court again if any exigency arises in the future.

Topics: Sahara Refund, Depositor Litigation