Bombay High Court

BABASAHEB RAOSAHEB MENGADEversusTHE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THROUGH ITS SECRETARY AND OTHERS

Disposal: DISPOSED OFF
Bench: VIBHA KANKANWADI HITEN S VENEGAVKAR

Holding

The Court directed Respondent No. 4 to submit a report within three months and Respondent No. 3 to decide on it within one month, thereby granting the petitioner's request for time‑bound directions.

Summary

Petitioner Babasaheb Raosaheb Mengade filed a writ petition seeking directions for the State of Maharashtra to decide his application dated 31 March 2023. The respondents, represented by the Additional Government Pleader, waived service of notice and offered an undertaking that Respondent No. 4 would submit a report on the application within three months and Respondent No. 3 would decide on that report within one month thereafter. The Court accepted the undertaking and ordered Respondent No. 4 to file the report within three months from the date of the order and Respondent No. 3 to render a decision within one month of receiving the report. No substantive merits of the original application were examined; the relief was limited to procedural direction. The petition was consequently disposed of by the Court’s directions.

Issues considered

Whether the High Court can issue mandatory time‑bound directions to administrative respondents to decide a pending application under a writ petition

Subjects

writ petition
administrative law
time‑bound direction
High Court of Bombay
government pleader

Judgment

2026:BHC-AUG:12386-DB

                                                                      940-WP-1804-26.odt
                                             {1}

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
                                 BENCH AT AURANGABAD
                            940 WRIT PETITION NO. 1804 OF 2026
                                Babasaheb Raosaheb Mengade
                                             VERSUS
                  The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Secretary And Others
                                               ......
            Mr. Nanabhau R. Thorat, Advocate for the Petitioner
            Mr. S.K. Tambe, Addl. G.P. for Respondents No.1 to 6
                                               ......

                                          CORAM : SMT. VIBHA KANKANWADI AND
                                                  HITEN S. VENEGAVKAR, JJ.
                                           DATE    : 18 MARCH, 2026

            PER COURT :-

            1.     Present petition has been filed for directions to respondents to

            decide the application filed by the petitioner dated 31.03.2023.


            2.     Learned Addl. G.P. waives service of notice for all the

            respondents and, upon instructions from respondent Nos. 3 and 4,

            makes a statement that respondent No. 4 would submit a report to

            respondent No. 3 on the petitioner’s application dated 31.03.2023

            within a period of three months from today, and respondent No. 3

            would take a decision on the said report within a period of one month

            thereafter. The said statement is taken on record as an undertaking.


            3.     We dispose of the writ petition by directing respondent No. 4 to

            submit a report on the application filed by the petitioner dated

            31.03.2023 within a period of three months from today. We further
                                                          940-WP-1804-26.odt
                                 {2}

direct that, upon receipt of the said report from respondent No. 4,

respondent No. 3 shall take a decision on the said report within a period

of one (1) month thereafter.



[ HITEN S. VENEGAVKAR ]                  [ SMT. VIBHA KANKANWADI ]
           JUDGE                                    JUDGE


S P Rane

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