Allahabad High Court
MAITRI GROVERversusCENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (C.B.I.) AND 6 OTHERS
- Decided
- Bench
- PRAKASH PADIA
Holding
The Court directed the Director of the CBI to decide the pending departmental petition/appeal within three months and to afford a hearing to the petitioner, unless a legal impediment exists.
Summary
The petitioner, Maitri Grover, filed a writ petition seeking a mandamus directing the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to decide a departmental appeal dated 5 February 2026 within a fixed time and after a hearing. The petition originally sought to quash an order dated 28 January 2026 but was later limited to the request for expeditious disposal of the appeal. The Court, after hearing counsel for both sides, refrained from examining the merits of the underlying departmental matter. It ordered the CBI to decide the appeal as soon as possible, preferably within three months of the certified copy of the order, and to provide the petitioner an opportunity of hearing unless a legal impediment exists. The order thus serves as a mandamus directing administrative action without delving into the substantive issues of the appeal.
Issues considered
- Whether the Director of the CBI should be compelled by mandamus to decide the pending departmental petition/appeal within a stipulated time and after a hearing.
Subjects
- mandamus
- departmental appeal
- CBI
- expeditious decision
- administrative law
- hearing
Judgment
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
WRIT - A No. - 6808 of 2026
Maitri Grover
.....Petitioner(s)
Versus
Central Bureau Of Investigation (C.B.I.) And 6
Others .....Respondent(s)
Counsel for Petitioner(s) : Arvind Kumar Goswami
Counsel for Respondent(s) : Rahul Srivastava
Court No. - 6
HON'BLE PRAKASH PADIA, J.
1. Heard Sri Arvind Kumar Goswami, learned counsel for the petitioner
and Sri Rahul Srivastava, learned counsel for the respondents and perused
the record.
2. Though by way of prayer No.1, a prayer has been made to quash the
order dated 28.01.2026 passed by the respondent No.4 but after some
arguments, confined his prayer to the prayer No.3 which reads as
follows:-
(iii) Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of Mandamus
commanding the respondent no. 1 to decide expeditiously the
pending departmental petition/appeal dated 05.02.2026,
preferred by the petitioner against the impugned reversal
order, within a stipulated time as may be fixed by this Hon'ble
Court by providing the fare opportunity of hearing to the
petitioner; (Annexure No. 15 to the WP)
3. Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the record.
4. In the facts and circumstances of the case and without entering into
merits of the case, the present petition is disposed of directing the
respondent No.1/Director, Central Bureau of Investigation to decide the
departmental petition/appeal dated 05.02.2026, copy of the same is
appended as Annexure No.15 to the writ petition most expeditiously and
preferably within a period of three months from the date of production of
WRIA No. 6808 of 2026
2
certified copy of this order but after providing opportunity of hearing to
the petitioner unless there is no legal impediment.
(Prakash Padia,J.)
May 6, 2026
saqlain
Digitally signed by :-
SYED MOHAMMAD SAQLAIN HAIDER
High Court of Judicature at Allahabad
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