Patna High Court

Pradip Kumar and OrsversusThe State Of Bihar and Ors

Decided: 19 January 2026
Disposal: DISMISSED
Bench: PARTHA SARTHY

Holding

The court held that a vacancy or inclusion in a select list does not confer any legal right to appointment and dismissed the writ.

Summary

The petitioners, a group of 26 individuals, filed a writ application before the Patna High Court seeking a direction to the State of Bihar and its forest, agriculture and horticulture departments to publish an advertisement for filling a sanctioned vacant post of Mali and other reliefs. No counsel appeared for the petitioners, while the respondents were represented by Mr. Anant Pd. Singh. The Court referred to Supreme Court precedents—State of Haryana v. Subhash Chandra Marwaha (1974) 3 SCC 220, Shankarsan Dash v. Union of India (1991) 3 SCC 47, and S.S. Balu v. State of Kerala (2009) 2 SCC 479—holding that the mere existence of a vacancy or inclusion in a select list does not create a legal right to appointment. Applying these principles, the Court found the writ application devoid of merit. Consequently, the petition was dismissed.

Issues considered

Does the existence of a vacant sanctioned post confer a legal right on a candidate to be appointed?
Does inclusion of a name in a select list create a legal entitlement to appointment?
Can a writ be issued directing the government to publish an advertisement for a vacant post?

Subjects

vacancy
appointment
right to appointment
public service recruitment
writ petition
advertisement
selection list
Supreme Court precedent

Judgment

         IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                    Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.1944 of 2017
     ======================================================
1.    Pradip Kumar and Ors S/o Sri Chhedi Mandal, Resident of Village-
      Chakrami, P.S.- Bhawanipur Bihpur, District- Bhagalpur.
2.   Deepak Kumar, S/o Sri Bedanand Sharma, Resident of Village- Asha Tola,
     P.S.- Bariyarpur, District- Munger.
3.   Jayendra Urf Pravesh, S/o Sri Makeshwar Mandal, Resident of Village- Bari
     Jamin, P.S.- Goradih, District- Bhagalpur.
4.   Suraj Kumar Paswan, S/o Late Rajendra Paswan, Resident of VillageP.S.-
     Mil Tola, Navgachhiya, District- Bhagalpur.
5.   Prabhakar Kumar, S/o Sri Rasik Lal Mandal, Resident of VillageP.O.-
     Tulsipur, P.S.- Kharik Bazar, District- Bhagalpur.
6.   Surendra Kumar Mandal, S/o Baldev Mandal, Resident of VillageP.O.-
     Faraka, P.S.- Sabar, Distt.- Bhagalpur.
7.   Ajay Kumar Mandal, S/o Mahesh Prasad Mandal, Resident of Village-
     Mamalkha, P.S.- Sabam, Distt.- Bhagalpur.
8.   Nand Kishore Mandal, S/o Sri Badry Mandal, Resident of Village-
     Sachidanand Nagar, P.O.P.S.- Tilka Majhi, District- Bhagalpur.
9.   Pradeep Kumar Das, S/o Sri Lankeshwar Das, Resident of Village-
     Surakhikal Bhaththa, P.O.- Head Post Office, P.S.- Barari, District-
     Bhagalpur.
10. Pankaj Kumar, S/o Sri Vakeel Prasad Singh, Resident of Village-
    Jhurakhuriya, P.O.- Bahadurpur, P.S.- Zeromile, District- Bhagalpur.
11. Rudranand Singh, S/o Sri Sargun Prasad Singh, Resident of Village-
    Janakipur, P.O.- Pavaiya, P.S.- Amarpur, District- Banka.
12. Rajeev Kumar, S/o Sri Shiv Shankar Pd. Mandal, Resident of Village-
    Bariyarpur, Basti, P.O.P.S.- Bariyarpur, District- Munger.
13. Janmenjay Kumar Choudhary, S/o Sri Nityanand Choudhary, Resident of
    Village- Javari pur, P.O.- Tilkamajhi, Block- Jagdishpur, District- Bhagalpur.
14. Rubi Devi, W/o Sri Ram Pravesh Yadav, Resident of Village- Aadersh
    Nagar, Phulkiya, P.O.P.S.- Ghogha, District- Bhagalpur.
15. Vivekanand Arya, S/o Sri Gopal Mandal, Resident of Village- Arya Tola,
    Sabaur, P.O.P.S.- Sabaur, District- Bhagalpur.
16. Suman Saurabh, S/o Sri Yogendra Prasad Singh, Resident of VillageP.O.P.S.-
    Purainee Kapsiya Tola, District- Madhepura, Present Address- Suman
    Saurabh, C/o Ganauri Singh, R/o VillageP.O.- Makakhatkiya, P.S.-
    Navgachiya, District- Bhagalpur.
17. Rajeev Kumar, S/o Sri Vakeel Prasad Singh, Resident of Village-
    Jhurkhuriya, P.O.- Bahadurpur, P.S.- Zero Mile, District- Bhagalpur.
18. Gautam Kumar, S/o Sri Ramdeo Singh, Resident of VillageP.O.P.S.- Tetiya,
    District- Munger.
19. Kanhaiya Kumar, S/o Sri Shravan Singh, Resident of VillageP.S.- Tetiya
    Bumbar, District- Munger.
         Patna High Court CWJC No.1944 of 2017(9) dt.19-01-2026
                                                     2/3




           20. Ravi Kumar, S/o Sri Ganesh Das, Resident of Village- Bikrampur, P.O.P.S.-
               Bihpur, District- Bhagalpur.
           21. Praveen Kumar Singh, S/o Late Mangleshwar Singh, Resident of
               VillageP.O.- Katahara, P.S.- Sultanganj, District- Bhagalpur.
           22. Hare Krishna, S/o Sri Narayan Mandal, Resident of Village- Kumarpur,
               P.O.- Katahara, P.S.- Sultanganj, District- Bhagalpur.
           23. Nripendra Narayan Singh, S/o Sri Nawal Kishore Singh, Resident of
               Village- Mil Tola, P.O.P.S.- Naugachhiya, District- Bhagalpur.
           24. Kiran Bharti, W/o Rajendra Singh, Resident of Village- Kalikapur, P.O.-
               Nadiyama, P.S.- Goradih, District- Bhagalpur.
           25. Vijay Paswan, S/o Sri Nageshwar Paswan, Resident of VillageP.O.- Jotha,
               Block- Ghoraiya, District- Banka.
           26. Sadanand Singh, S/o Late Mahesh Prasad Singh, Resident of Village-
               Harchandi, P.S.- Rajaun, District- Banka.

                                                                             ... ... Petitioner/s
                                                       Versus
           1.    The State of Bihar
           2.    Director, Forest Department, Government of Bihar, Patna.
           3.    Director, Agriculture Department, Government of Bihar, Patna.
           4.    Deputy Director, Horticulture/Orchard Department, Government of Bihar,
                 Patna.

                                                           ... ... Respondent/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s    :        None
                 For the Respondent/s    :        Mr. Anant Pd.Singh, SC15
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE PARTHA SARTHY
                                       ORAL ORDER

9   19-01-2026                   1. No one appears for the petitioner. Learned counsel

                   for the respondents is present.

                               2. The petitioner has filed the instant application for a

                   direction to the respondents to publish an advertisement to fill

                   up the vacant sanctioned post of Mali and for other reliefs.

                               3. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of State of

                   Haryana versus Subhash Chandra Marwaha & Ors.; (1974)
          Patna High Court CWJC No.1944 of 2017(9) dt.19-01-2026
                                                      3/3




                    3 SCC 220 has held that existence of vacancy does not give

                    legal right to a candidate to be selected for appointment. Further

                    in case of Shankarsan Dash versus Union of India; (1991) 3

                    SCC 47 and S.S.Balu & Ors. versus State of Kerala; (2009) 2

                    SCC 479, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has held that even if the

                    name of the petitioner figures in the select list, he still does not

                    acquire any legal right to be appointed.

                                4. The Court finds no merit in the instant writ

                    application and the same is dismissed.



                                               (Partha Sarthy, J)
Bibhash

U

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